Only three players that played for Munster and Ulster in their respective inter-provincial derbies against Connacht and Leinster will play when the sides meet at Ravenhill tomorrow evening.
All three of those players – Mick O’Driscoll, Ian Keatley and Luke O’Dea – will play in a Munster side that shows 12 changes from the one that defeated Connacht, while Brian McLaughlin has named an entirely different XV to the inexperienced outfit that went down heavily to Leinster at the RDS on St. Stephen’s Day.
On this occasion, it is Munster who are shorn the vast majority of their front-line personnel, although the likes of Lifeimi Mafi, Damien Varley, Mick O’Driscoll and James Coughlan have been around the block for some time.
Ulster’s side is far more recognisable than the one that took the field on Monday and McLaughlin will be acutely aware of the need for points with his side wallowing in eighth place in the table.
Ulster take on Munster at Ravenhill tomorrow at 6.45pm.
Munster: D Hurley; L O’Dea, T Gleeson, L Mafi, J Murphy; I Keatley, D Williams; W du Preez, D Varley, S Archer; I Nagle, M O’Driscoll (captain); Dave O’Callaghan, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan.
Replacements: D Fogarty, M Horan, J Ryan, B Holland, P Butler, T O’Leary, S Deasy, W Chambers.
Ulster: A D’Arcy; C Gilroy, D Cave, I Whitten, S Terblanche; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; P McAllister, A Kyriacou, J Afoa, J Muller (Captain), D Tuohy, P Wannenburg, W Faloon, C Henry.
Replacements: N Brady, C Black, A Macklin, L Stevenson, A Birch, P Marshall, C Farrell, P Nelson.
