Buckley and Murphy the only changes for Connacht

Connacht Academy prop Denis Buckley will make his first competitive start for the province when they face Edinburgh at the Sportsground tomorrow night (7.30pm).

Buckley comes into the team in the absence of Brett Wilkinson who is involved with the Ireland setup this weekend.

Buckley, 22, made his debut for Connacht last September against Treviso and despite being a member of the Connacht Academy the Creggs born loose-head has made a big impact in a number of Connacht's major games this season.

With five caps to date Buckley has starred against both Italian outfits, including Connacht's season opening victory over Treviso, as well as European power-houses Toulouse and the famous victory over Harlequins in the Sportsground.

The only other change to the starting line-up sees the return of Frank Murphy to scrum-half. Murphy has been out of action with a groin injury since the first week in January and his return to full fitness sees him replace Paul O'Donohoe in the number 9 jersey.

Connacht (v Edinburgh): G Duffy; F Vainikolo, K Tonetti, H Fa’afili, T O’Halloran; N O’Connor, F Murphy; D Buckley, A Flavin, R Loughney; M Swift, M McCarthy; J Muldoon, E Grace, G Naoupu.

Replacements: E Renecke, D Rogers/B Wilkinson, S Maguire, M Kearney, R Ofisa, P O’Donohoe, M Jarvis, E Griffin.