Keith Earls, who injured a knee in the opening minute of Munster game with Leinster in early November, returns to the side for the Heineken Cup return with Scarlets at Thomond Park Stadium on Sunday (12.45).
He comes straight into the side as a replacement for Will Chambers, while Denis Leamy starts in place of the injured Peter O’Mahony (jaw) and Donncha O’Callaghan retains the number 4 shirt having come on in Llanelli as a 55th minute replacement for Donncha Ryan who is listed among the replacements.
Earls did his first full training spin late last week before coming through two sessions this week with flying colours. There just remains for him to get through the Captain’s Run tomorrow unscathed and he’ll line up alongside Lifeimi Mafi in the Munster midfield. No surprise that Leamy gets the number 6 shirt after an impressive showing in the second half last weekend when he came on for O’Mahony and Tommy O’Donnell fills the gap on the bench created by Leamy’s promotion while Stephen Archer is preferred as loose-head prop cover for BJ Botha.
Munster: D Hurley; J Murphy, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O’Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, D Varley, BJ Botha; D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell capt; D Leamy, N Ronan, J Coughlan; Replacements: D Fogarty, M Horan, S Archer, D Ryan, T O’Donnell, T O’Leary, I Keatley, D Barnes.
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