Out-half Jack Crowley has returned to the Munster starting team for Saturday's URC final-round clash at home to Lions, with Diarmuid Barron free to play after having his red card rescinded.
Coming off the back of a sobering 26-7 defeat to Connacht, Clayton McMillan’s side will attempt to secure a play-off and Champions Cup place at Thomond Park.
Crowley will be joined at half-back by scrum-half Craig Casey, who captains the province for the first time.
In all there are five changes from the side that went down to Connacht, with Crowley and Seán O’Brien coming into the backline and Niall Scannell, Jack O’Donoghue and Brian Gleeson starting in the pack.
Scannell (210 appearances), along with John Ryan (256 appearances) could be set for their final outings at Thomond Park.
Barron, whose suspension for a dangerous clear-out on Connacht’s Dylan Tierney-Martin last week that was subsequently upgraded to red, was overturned and is named among the replacements.
Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Smith, Alex Nankivell, Dan Kelly, Seán O’Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey (C); Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Michael Ala’alatoa; Tom Ahern, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett, Brian Gleeson.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Evan O’Connell, Gavin Coombes, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Alex Kendellen.
Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has made 10 changes for his side's crucial BKT United Rugby Championship meeting with Glasgow Warriors on Friday, with one eye on next week’s Challenge Cup decider in Bilbao.
While a defeat on Friday night in Belfast could see Ulster slip out of the URC play-offs, they could still secure Champions Cup qualification next week by beating Montpellier in the Challenge Cup final.
With injuries to Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale and David McCann, as well as captain Iain Henderson being suspended, Murphy has held several other first-team regulars back on the bench this week, among them Angus Bell, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy.
Rob Herring does return from injury to bring experience to the front row, where he is joined by Sam Crean and Tom O’Toole, with Tom Stewart, Bell and Scott Wilson on the bench.
Charlie Irvine continues in the second row, joined at lock by Harry Sheridan, who comes in for the suspended Henderson.
Nick Timoney is one of the few frontliners retained, and captains the side at openside flanker, with Joe Hopes and Bryn Ward coming into the back row.
It’s a new half-back partnership of Conor McKee and Jake Flannery, while James Hume returns from injury at outside centre, joined in midfield by former Ireland U20 international Wilhelm de Klerk, who makes his first Ulster start.
The back three is unchanged, with Zac Ward, Werner Kok and Mike Lowry filling the backfield.
Ulster: Mike Lowry; Werner Kok, James Hume, Wilhelm de Klerk, Zac Ward; Jake Flannery, Conor McKee; Sam Crean, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole; Harry Sheridan, Charlie Irvine; Joe Hopes, Nick Timoney (capt), Bryn Ward
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Angus Bell, Scott Wilson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Lorcan McLoughlin, Nathan Doak, Jack Murphy, Ethan McIlroy
Ireland international Finlay Bealham is one of three changes for Connacht as Stuart Lancaster’s (above) side look to secure their place in the URC play-offs on Friday.
Ninth-place Connacht will almost certainly need to win away to Edinburgh in order to sneak into the play-off spots as they also look to secure Champions Cup rugby for next season.
Lancaster has been forced into a couple of changes from last week’s 26-7 win against Munster, with hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin and second row Darragh Murray ruled out due to injury.
Eoin de Buitléar comes in at hooker to replace Tierney-Martin, who was injured in the incident which saw Munster’s Diarmuid Barron shown a 20-minute red card last week.
De Buitléar partners Billy Bohan and Bealham in the front row, with Bealham swapping in for Sam Illo.
Joe Joyce takes Murray’s place in the second row, joining Josh Murphy at lock, while Cian Prendergast captains an unchanged back row, alongside in-form pair Shamus Hurley-Langton and Sean Jansen.
Lancaster has stuck with the same backline from Dexcom Stadium a week ago, with Ben Murphy and Josh Ioane in the half-backs, supported by Matthew Devine and Jack Carty on the bench, while Bundee Aki and Harry West team up in the centre.
Shayne Bolton and Shane Jennings are on the wings, while goal-kicking Sam Gilbert is at full-back.
Former Ireland U20 hooker Mikey Yarr is in line for his Connacht debut off the bench.
Connacht: Sam Gilbert; Shane Jennings, Harry West, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Billy Bohan, Eoin de Buitléar, Finlay Bealham; Joe Joyce, Josh Murphy; Cian Prendergast (capt), Shamus Hurley-Langton, Sean Jansen.
Replacements: Mikey Yarr, Peter Dooley, Sam Illo, David O’Connor, Paul Boyle, Matthew Devine, Jack Carty, Seán Naughton.
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