Crowley partners Casey from the start for Munster's trip to Ulster

FROM THE START: Munster's Jack Crowley. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Jack Crowley will start at fly-half for Munster at Ulster in Friday night’s BKT URC derby in Belfast as Jeremy Loughman returns from World Cup duty in a bid to repeat last season’s Kingspan Stadium victory.

They will face a strong Ulster squad featuring Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey in the starting line-up and fellow World Cup squad members Iain Henderson and Rob Herring on the bench as they seek to avenge their 15-14 New Year’s Day home defeat to the southern province.

Munster boss Graham Rowntree has made five changes and four positional switches from the team which started the 45-14 home victory over the Dragons last weekend, a win that extended an unbeaten start to the URC season to three games, and eight overall for last season’s champion since April 15.

In a week which saw Munster receive gloomy outlooks for the recovery times of World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman (chest/shoulder) and fly-half Joey Carbery (wrist), there was some good news for the head coach. 

Rowntree has been able to keep in-form wing Calvin Nash in his starting line-up, albeit switching from the right to the left flank in a swap with Seán O’Brien, Shane Daly continuing at full-back.

Nash, man of the match against the Dragons last Saturday in Cork, injured his knee scoring his second try of the evening, late in the second half at Musgrave Park but returned to training on Tuesday and has clearly satisfied the medics he is fit to play.

Antoine Frisch returns to the midfield at outside centre after missing the Dragons game, with summer signing Alex Nankivell switching to inside centre in a new combination as Rory Scannell moves onto the bench as fly-half cover with 19-year-old full-back Ben O’Connor retaining his place as outside back replacement following the academy man’s senior debut off the bench last week in his hometown.

Crowley, who made his return from Ireland’s World Cup campaign off the bench last Saturday, steps up to the number 10 berth to replace academy fly-half Tony Butler, who drops out of the matchday squad following a successful first senior start against the Dragons. 

It reunites the Cork playmaker with half-back partner Craig Casey, who makes his second start of the season for Munster after his first appearance last weekend.

In the forward pack, Diarmuid Barron continues at hooker and captains Munster for the first time, taking over the matchday leadership from flanker Jack O’Donoghue who is unavailable due to illness, the number six jersey seeing Alex Kendellen move from the openside to blindside as John Hodnett returns at number seven with Gavin Coombes retained at No.8.

Academy lock Edwin Edogbo makes his fourth consecutive start of the season in the second row, this time alongside Fineen Wycherley, who starts on his 100th Munster appearance as Tom Ahern, a try scorer in the last two matches, moves to the bench.

Barron once again packs down in the front-row alongside tighthead John Ryan with Loughman coming in at loosehead to replace academy prop Kieran Ryan, who started the last two games in the absence of injured Josh Wycherley who has recovered from a neck issue and returns on the bench.

Ulster head coach Dan McFarlane has made 10 changes and one positional switch from the side beaten in Galway by Connacht last Saturday. 

McCloskey, and Ireland-capped wings Rob Baloucoune and Jacob Stockdale, fly-half Billy Burns and scrum-half Nathan Doak all come into the starting line-up with Ethan McIlroy switching from wing to full-back following the 22-20 interpro loss, Ulster’s first of the URC campaign.

World Cup training squad hooker Tom Stewart moves off the bench to start and captain the side with club skipper Henderson on the bench as second-row back-up on his return from post-World Cup recovery alongside Herring.

Ulster: E McIlroy; R Baloucoune, S Moore, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; B Burns, N Doak; E O’Sullivan, T Stewart, G McGrath; C Izuchukwu, K Treadwell; D McCann, M Rea, N Timoney.

Replacements: R Herring, C Reid, S Wilson, I Henderson, D Ewers, J Cooney, J Flannery, J Postlethwaite. 

Munster: S Daly; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S O’Brien; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, D Barron, J Ryan; E Edogbo, F Wycherley; A Kendellen, J Hodnett, G Coombes. 

Replacements: S Buckley, J Wycherley, S Archer, T Ahern, B Gleeson, P Patterson, R Scannell, B O’Connor.

Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)