The Munster contingent who were on International duty at the Rugby World Cup will be back wearing red today for their first provincial outing of the season.
Munster coach Anthony Foley will be relieved to see the return of several Munster stalwarts before taking to the pitch in Murrayfield this evening. As a result, eight changes have been made to the side who defeated Ulster the last day. Conor Murray is expected to resume his scrumhalf duties while Donnacha Ryan and Dave Foley will slot into the secondrow.
Meanwhile, Simon Zebo has been selected at full-back and Keith Earls will represent at midfield alongside 23 year-old Francis Saili who continues to garner interest with his impressive performances.
How about this for a finish from Keith Earls? Absolutely beautiful skill from the Munster man! https://t.co/nDYcbjt5D4
— Matchbook.com (@TeamMatchBook) February 28, 2015
The frontrow will take on a completely new complexion for the Edinburgh game with Dave Kilcoyne, Duncan Casey and John Ryan all coming into the fray. Mario Sagario is expected to make his Munster debut as a prop while CJ Stander comes in to take the number 8 jersey.
The injury afflicted Peter O'Mahony who suffered ligament damage to his knee at the Rugby World Cup, is expected to undergo surgery within the next two weeks.
Could we see Munster's CJ Stander in an Ireland jersey soon? https://t.co/oATrKHqtQc pic.twitter.com/7Y3sZl6BPp
— Newstalk Sport (@NewstalkSport) November 5, 2015
Four Scotland internationals are due to line out for Edinburgh today with Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford and WP Nel all returning to the frontrow, while Matt Scott is also reinstated in the centre.
Murrayfield has proven to be a difficult venue for visiting teams to come away with a victory in the Pro12. Leinster, Ulster and the Ospreys all came up short in their respective fixtures on Edinburgh's home pitch. But with Edinburgh coming into this game on the back of two defeats against Zebre and Connacht, Munster - who have have only lost once so far this season - will be hoping to exploit and punish Edinburgh's losing momentum.
Zebre score bonus-point win over sorry Cardiff Blues in @PRO12Rugby. https://t.co/8K7I3Lmi2M pic.twitter.com/YSBxdgVxTp
— Sky Sports Rugby (@SkySportsRugby) October 31, 2015
Munster
S Zebo; G van den Heever, K Earls, F Saili, R O’Mahony, I Keatley, C Murray, D Kilcoyne, D Casey, J Ryan, D Ryan, D Foley, D O'Callaghan, J O'Donoghue, CJ Stander(capt)
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