Munster coach Tony McGahan has made four changes, one positional, for their Magners League opener against Aironi Rugby in Musgrave Park on Saturday (7.30pm).
All those changes are confined to the forward pack and in particular to the back five with Mick O’Driscoll linking up with Billy Holland in the second row, which means a switch to blind-side wing-forward for Donnacha Ryan at the expense of Alan Quinlan
– who’s named on the bench – and Niall Ronan, a 45th minute replacement last weekend for Tommy O’Donnell, retained at open-side.
Included among the replacements for the first time are Irish internationals John Hayes and Marcus Horan. Denis Leamy captains the side as he has done for the opening two games.
Munster:
F Jones; D Howlett, S Tuitupou, J Murphy, I Dowling; P Warwick, P Stringer; W du Preez, D Varley, T Buckley, M O’Driscoll, B Holland; D Ryan, N Ronan, D Leamy capt. Replacements: D Fogarty, M Horan, J Hayes, A Quinlan, P O’Mahony, D Williams, S Deasy, D Barnes
Meantime, Aironi name squad for Magners League debut
Franco Bernini announced the team that will face Munster where the starting XV is very similar to the team which played against Northampton Saints last Friday in a pre-season match. The four new faces in the side are the two wings, Giulio Rubini and Giulio Toniolatti replacing Demas and Venditti; while in the pack Alberto De Marchi takes the loosehead-prop position in place of Andrea De Marchi. Jaco Erasmus is the starting left-flanker instead of Cattina.
The front row is completed by Italian internationals Fabio Ongaro and Salvatore Perugini. Carlo Del Fava and Aironi’s skipper Quintin Geldenhuys form the second row. The back row is completed with Erasmus and Krause at flanker while former Munster Nick Williams wears the No.8 shirt.
Tito Tebaldi and Ludovic Mercier start at half back, with the French fly-half recovered from an ankle injury he suffered in Northampton. Des Fountain and Quartaroli play at centre while 12 times caped French International Julien Laharrague is the fullback.
Aironi:
15 LAHARRAGUE JULIEN
14 RUBINI GIULIO
13 QUARTAROLI ROBERTO
12 DES FOUNTAIN DYLAN
11 TONIOLATTI GIULIO
10 MERCIER LUDOVIC
9 TEBALDI TITO
1 DE MARCHI ALBERTO
2 ONGARO FABIO 3 PERUGINI SALVATORE
4 DEL FAVA CARLO ANTONIO
5 GELDENHUYS QUINTIN (c)
6 ERASMUS JACO
7 KRAUSE GARETH
8 WILLIAMS NICK
