Munster coach Anthony Foley has named a team with an extended list of replacements for his first game in charge of the province, the pre-season friendly against Gloucester at Kingsholm on Saturday (3.0).
There are potentially 11 players in line to make their senior debuts in a team that will benefit from the presence of the experienced Donncha O’Callaghan and BJ Botha.
In the frontrow Alan Cotter and BJ Botha pack down on either side of Ger Slattery. The Young Munster club player made his competitive debut for Munster against Connacht in December 2013 and claimed his first points when scoring two tries against Zebre the following February.
O’Callaghan, Munster’s most capped player, will captain the squad and he lines out alongside Academy player Sean McCarthy in the second row.
Shane Buckley starts at blindside flanker, while Barry O'Mahony and CJ Stander complete the backrow. Duncan Williams partners Johnny Holland at halfback.
One time Cork hurler and Irish underage international Darren Sweetnam makes his first Munster senior appearance on the left wing whie new academy recruit Stephen Fitzgerald starts at fullback.
Fitzgerald, 18, represented Ardscoil Rís in the 2014 Munster Schools Senior Cup Final in March.
Munster: Stephen Fitzgerald; Ronan O'Mahony, Cian Bohane, Ivan Dineen, Darren Sweetnam; Johnny Holland, Duncan Williams; Alan Cotter, Ger Slattery, BJ Botha; Donncha O'Callaghan Capt., Sean McCarthy; Shane Buckley, Barry O'Mahony, CJ Stander. Replacements from: Niall Horan, Kevin O'Byrne, John Ryan, John Madigan, Ryan Murphy, Cathal Sheridan, David Johnston, Ned Hodson, Rory Scannell, Ryan Foley, Greg O'Shea.
