SUMMER arrivals Dan Kelly and JJ Hanrahan have been named in the Munster XV to face Bath in the Investec Champions Cup opener at The Rec this Saturday, 8pm.
It’s the first Cup meeting of the clubs in a quarter of a century, and the fixture is an 18,000 sell-out.
Shane Daly, Diarmuid Kilgallen, and Thaakir Abrahams start in an unchanged back three with Kelly and Tom Farrell in midfield.
Craig Casey and Hanrahan start in the half-backs.
Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron and John Ryan pack down in the front row as Jean Kleyn and Tom Ahern start in the engine room.
Captain Tadhg Beirne, John Hodnett and Gavin Coombes are in the back row.
Unavailable through injury were Jack Crowley, Calvin Nash, Andrew Smith, Jack O’Donoghue, Brian Gleeson and Oli Jager.
Crowley, Nash and Smith are all expected to be available within a fortnight, while Gleeson and Jager are out of action until next month.
O’Donoghue is following return-to-play protocols.
Munster are priced at 11/2 to win the tie.
Bath are under coach Johann van Graan, who was with Munster from 2017 to ‘22.
Munster: Shane Daly; Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Dan Kelly, Thaakir Abrahams; JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tom Ahern; Tadhg Beirne, captain, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Michael Ala’alatoa, Edwin Edogbo, Ruadhán Quinn, Ethan Coughlan, Alex Nankivell, Alex Kendellen.
Bath: Beno Obano; Tom Dunn, Will Stuart, Quinn Roux, Charlie Ewels; Josh Bayliss, Guy Pepper; Miles Reid, Ben Spencer, captain, Finn Russell; Henry Arundell, Cameron Redpath; Max Ojomoh, Joe Cokanasiga, Tom de Glanville.
Replacements: Kepu Tuipulotu, Francois van Wyk, Thomas du Toit, Ross Molony, Ted Hill, Tom Carr-Smith, Santi Carreras, Sam Underhill