Leinster and Munster have named their teams for Saturday’s huge Interpro clash, with both coaches welcoming back key Ireland internationals.
The sides both come into the game in Dublin off the back of impressive wins in Europe last time out, with Leinster beating Clermont Auvergne 43-28 away from home while Munster edged Racing 92 33-25, and will be looking to make it two on the spin this weekend.
A win for either side could also take them into the top eight of the URC table, with Leinster currently sat on eight points and Munster on nine, but a loss could see them pulled closer to the bottom as well.
Dan Sheehan in shock position change as Leinster make changes
Leo Cullen has made four changes to his squad from that win in France last weekend, but the headlines will be taken by the shock position change of captain Dan Sheehan, who swaps hooker for number eight this weekend. This will be the first time the 28-year-old forward will start a game in the back-row and comes amid injuries to both Caelan Doris and Jack Conan.
Hugo Keenan starts at full-back, with brothers Tommy and Jimmy O’Brien named on the wings. Jamie Osborne comes into the midfield to partner Robbie Henshaw this weekend, while former Munsterman Joey Carbery makes his first appearance since re-joining Leinster this off-season at fly-half. Jamison Gibson-Park also comes into the side at scrum-half.
Sheehan is joined by Josh van der Flier and Ryan Baird in an exciting back-row, while James Ryan and Joe McCarthy start in the locks. The aforementioned move from Sheehan sees Rónan Kelleher come into the side at hooker, joining Tadhg Furlong and Andrew Porter in the run-on front-row.
Gus McCarthy, Alex Usanov, Thomas Clarkson, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Scott Penny, Fintan Gunne, Caspar Gabriel and Charlie Tector form the replacements list.
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Munster welcome back Ireland star in reshuffle
Clayton McMillan has also made several changes to his side from their win last time out, with some key personnel back in the fold.
Ben O’Connor starts at full-back, with Shay McCarthy and Ireland international Shane Daly named on the wings. Seán O’Brien and Alex Nankivell form the midfield combination, while Charlie O’Shea and Craig Casey start at fly-half and scrum-half respectively.
The bulk of Munster’s changes come in the pack, though. Ireland forward Gavin Coombes, Alex Kendellen and Jack O’Donoghue all come into the run-on group in the back-row, while Fineen Wycherley joins captain Tadhg Beirne in the locks. Josh Wycherley and Kieran Brookes also join Marnus van der Merwe in the front-row.
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Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Michael Ala’alatoa, Seán Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan and Gordon Wood form the replacements list.
Leinster v Munster teams in full
Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Jamie Osborne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Dan Sheehan (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Gus McCarthy, 17 Alex Usanov, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Conor O’Tighearnaigh, 20 Scott Penny, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Caspar Gabriel, 23 Charlie Tector
Munster: 15 Ben O’Connor, 14 Shay McCarthy, 13 Seán O’Brien, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Shane Daly, 10 Charlie O’Shea, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 4 Fineen Wycherley, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Josh Wycherley
Replacements: 16 Max Clein, 17 Mark Donnelly, 18 Michael Ala’alatoa, 19 Seán Edogbo, 20 Brian Gleeson, 21 Ben O’Donovan, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Gordon Wood
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 18.00 IRE & UK / 19.00 ITA & SA
Referee: Andrew Brace
Assistant referees: Keane Davison and Dan Carson
TMO: Colin Stanley
Live on: Premier Sports, SuperSport, Flo Rugby & URC.tv
READ MORE: URC, Round Four: Predictions, teams, kick-off times, how to watch and referee appointments