IRELAND SCRUM-HALF Conor Murray is set for his first start of the RaboDirect Pro12 season as Munster look to make it a Welsh double in Swansea this weekend.
Murray continued his gradual return to action with a try from the replacements bench last weekend and starts as one of six changes made by head coach Rob Penney to keep things fresh for Saturday’s meeting with the Ospreys.
After sitting out the five-try win against the Dragons with tonsillitis, Denis Hurley returns at full-back and so there is no place in Penney’s starting XV for Ian Keatley, the competition’s leading scorer with 51 points from four games.
There is one other change in the backs where Casey Laulala returns to partner Keith Earls in midfield. James Downey, who was called up to Declan Kidney’s Ireland training squad this week, is named among the replacements.
In the pack Wian du Preez and Stephen Archer come into the front row on either side of Mike Sherry while Tommy O’Donnell, another try-scoring sub last Saturday, makes his first start of the season in place of Dave O’Callaghan in the back row.
Munster: D Hurley; D Howlett (c), K Earls, C Laulala, S Zebo, R O’Gara, C Murray; W Du Preez, M Sherry, S Archer; D O’Callaghan, B Holland, T O’Donnell, N Ronan, P Butler. Replacements: D Varley, D Kilcoyne, BJ Botha, D Ryan, P O’Mahony, P Stringer, I Keatley, J Downey.
