Three Munster players set for first competitive starts

Munster coach Anthony Foley has included three debutants as he named his starting side for their opening PRO12 fixture.

The three are hooker Kevin O’Byrne, centre Andrew Smith and Shane Buckley in the back row.

Donncha O'Callaghan will captain the side, with Simon Zebo starting alongside Ronan O’Mahony as part of the back three.

Cian Bohane has been ruled out of action pending further assessment of a knee injury he sustained against London Irish.

Munster are at home for their opening match, welcoming Edinburgh to Thomond Park on Friday night, with kick-off at 7.35pm.

Foley’s side will be hoping for a strong performance to put the embarrassment of the leaked player reviews firmly in the past.

Munster team in full: Ronan O'Mahony; Andrew Conway, Johne Murphy, Andrew Smith, Simon Zebo; Ian Keatley, Duncan Williams; John Ryan, Kevin O'Byrne, BJ Botha, Donncha O'Callaghan (capt), Billy Holland, CJ Stander, Sean Dougall, Shane Buckley.

Replacements: Duncan Casey, Alan Cotter, Stephen Archer, David Foley, Tommy O'Donnell, Cathal Sheridan, Johnny Holland, Ivan Dineen.

Edinburgh team in full: Jack Cuthbert; Dougie Fife, Sam Beard, Andries Strauss, Tim Visser; Greig Tonks, Sean Kennedy; Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford (capt.), John Andress; Fraser McKenzie, Ollie Atkins; Tomas Leonardi, Hamish Watson, Cornell Du Preez.

Replacements: James Hilterbrand, Rory Sutherland, WP Nel, Ben Toolis, Mike Coman, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Nick McLennan, Phil Burleigh.

Tickets are available from ticketmaster.ie and also from the ticket offices in Thomand Park and Musgrave Park.