Mike Haley and Darren Sweetnam will see game time for the first time since February as Munster have brought out the big guns for their PRO14 opener against Scarlets in Swansea tomorrow (3pm).
With tough conference games at home to Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues to follow, the Reds want to get the season off to a flyer in a tough assignment at Parc Y Scarlets.
Haley and Sweetnam return from injury - full-back Haley suffered a calf injury when training resumed after lockdown, while Sweetnam only played five games last term due to a hamstring issue - and they join Andrew Conway in the back three, with Keith Earls given the weekend off.
Craig Casey gets his chance to shine at scrum-half after looking good off the bench in the PRO14 semi-final loss to Leinster, with Conor Murray suffering a thigh injury in that game and he will partner JJ Hanrahan.
Damian de Allende and Chris Farrell form the centre partnership for the Reds, while in the pack James Cronin, Rhys Marshall and John Ryan form the front row with Jean Kleyn and Tadhg Beirne - who faces his former side for the first time since his move to Munster three years ago - in the second row.
Johann van Graan has also selected a very strong back row, with Jack O'Donoghue and CJ Stander joining skipper Peter O'Mahony. Academy out-half Ben Healy is on the bench.
Munster : Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Darren Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, Craig Casey; James Cronin, Rhys Marshall, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.
Replacements : Kevin O’Byrne, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Gavin Coombes, Neil Cronin, Ben Healy, Rory Scannell.
