HEAD Coach Graham Rowntree has named his Munster team to face Sharks in the Champions Cup Round of 16 fixture at Kings Park, Durban tomorrow (Saturday) at 12.30pm.
There are five changes to the side that were beaten by Glasgow Warriors last weekend, along with two positional switches.
RG Snyman makes his first start for Munster since his debut in August 2020 after featuring off the bench twice since returning from a long-term injury.
The game will be Snyman’s Champions Cup debut with Antoine Frisch, Craig Casey, Niall Scannell and captain Peter O’Mahony also coming into the side.
Full-back Mike Haley, Calvin Nash and Shane Daly start in an unchanged back three.
Malakai Fekitoa moves to inside centre with Frisch in at 13 after missing out last week due to injury.
Casey and Jack Crowley start together in the half-backs as Crowley moves from inside centre to out-half.
Dave Kilcoyne, Scannell and Roman Salanoa pack down in the front row with Jean Kleyn and Snyman in the engine room.
O’Mahony starts on his return from international duty with John Hodnett and Gavin Coombes completing the starting XV.
Conor Murray also makes his return from international duty and is included among the replacements.
On the injury front, Paddy Patterson sustained a knee injury at training and was unavailable for selection.
To avoid a clash of colours, Munster will be wearing their adidas Alternate kit with the hosts also wearing their Alternate strip.
Meanwhile current Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell told the Team Limerick Clean-Up (TLC) podcast on Live 95 radio that Munster has the players capable of beating any team in the world.
He also speaks of the sense of fulfilment he gets from being on the coaching side of affairs, which is undeniably different from the “euphoric” sense of playing on the field.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Malakai Fekitoa, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Roman Salanoa; Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman; Peter O’Mahony (captain), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Donoghue, Conor Murray, Joey Carbery, Alex Kendellen.
