COACH Clayton McMillan has made eight changes to the Munster side which lost the weekend Champions Cup fixture with Castres for the visit of Dragons in the URC to Cork’s Virgin Media Park on Friday, 7.45pm.
Debutant Seán Edogbo follows in the footsteps of his brother Edwin to become the second player from Cobh Pirates to play for Munster in the professional era, with Edwin called up to the Ireland squad for the 2026 Six Nations earlier this week.
Mike Haley, Dan Kelly, JJ Hanrahan, and Ethan Coughlan all come into the backline as captain Diarmuid Barron starts in the front row with a new-look back row of Edogbo, Ruadhán Quinn and Brian Gleeson.
Haley, Thaakir Abrahams and Shane Daly are named in the back three with Daly moving to the wing.
Alex Nankivell and Kelly start in midfield with Coughlan and Hanrahan in the half-backs.
Jeremy Loughman, Barron and Michael Ala’alatoa pack down in the front row with an unchanged second-row partnership of Jean Kleyn and Fineen Wycherley.
Quinn, aged only 22, is the elder statesman in the back row alongside 21-year-olds Edogbo and Gleeson, who recently signed a two-year contract extension.
Meanwhile, Gleeson, 21, and John Hodnett, 27, have both signed two-year contract extensions with Munster.
Also, Munster’s Challenge Cup tie away to Exeter Chiefs has been confirmed for Sandy Park on Saturday, April 4 (12.30pm).
Munster: Mike Haley; Thaakir Abrahams, Dan Kelly, Alex Nankivell, Shane Daly; JJ Hanrahan, Ethan Coughlan; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, captain, Michael Ala’alatoa; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Seán Edogbo, Ruadhán Quinn, Brian Gleeson.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Josh Wycherley, Oli Jager, Evan O’Connell, Gavin Coombes, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Diarmuid Kilgallen.