Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has handed academy graduate Brian Deeny his first start for the province, while John McKee is also named among the replacements for Leinster's game away to Cell C Sharks tomorrow evening.
Wexford man Deeny came through first at Wexford Wanderers before moving to Clontarf and has also featured for the Irish U-20 side.
Belfast native McKee captained Campbell College to an Ulster Schools Cup in 2018 before enrolling in UCD. He has also captained Ireland at underage level and now plays his club rugby with Old Belvedere.
Rhys Ruddock captains the side from the back row, where he's joined by Scott Penny and Max Deegan.
Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher and Thomas Clarkson make up the front row while Deeny is joined by Jack Dunne in the second row.
In the backs, Chris Cosgrave, a debutant against Connacht last month, lines out at full-back, making his first start for the province.
The remainder of the back three consists of Tommy O'Brien on the right wing with Rory O’Loughlin on the left.
Ciarán Frawley and Jamie Osborne pair up in midfield while Nick McCarthy is alongside Harry Byrne in the half-backs. It’s Byrne’s first appearance since picking up an injury against Benetton in early March.
Leinster: Chris Cosgrave; Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Ciarán Frawley, Rory O’Loughlin; Harry Byrne, Nick McCarthy; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Brian Deeny, Jack Dunne; Rhys Ruddock, Scott Penny, Max Deegan.
Replacements: John McKee, Peter Dooley, Michael Ala'alatoa, Josh Murphy, Alex Soroka, Cormac Foley, David Hawkshaw, Martin Moloney.
Connacht have made seven changes to the side which exited the Heineken Champions Cup in Dublin last weekend, as Andy Friend's side seek to extend the winning run in South Africa against the Lions in Johannesburg.
Two of chose changes are in the backs where Alex Wootton and Tom Daly come into the side.
Daly starts at inside-centre with Bundee Aki moving to 13. Wootton is on the wing, with John Porch and Mack Hansen - the latter shifting to full-back - completing the back three.
Caolin Blade and captain Jack Carty are retained at 9 and 10 respectively.
In the front row there are starts for props Denis Buckley and Jack Aungier alongside hooker Dave Heffernan, while there’s a new-look second row of Oisín Dowling and Niall Murray.
The final change sees the return of Paul Boyle at number 8, while Cian Prendergast and Jarrad Butler are the flankers.
"We’ve had a really good week so far in South Africa, and while the disappointment of last week still lingers, there’s still a great sense of optimism in the group that we can finish these last few games on a high," said head coach Andy Friend.
Connacht: Mack Hansen; John Porch, Bundee Aki, Tom Daly, Alex Wootton; Jack Carty, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Jack Aungier; Oisín Dowling, Niall Murray; Cian Prendergast, Jarrad Butler, Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Jordan Duggan, Greg McGrath, Leva Fifita, Conor Oliver, Kieran Marmion, Conor Fitzgerald, Shayne Bolton.
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