Champions Cup Pool B: Wasps v Munster
Kick-off: 3.15pm, Sunday. Venue: Ricoh Arena. How to follow: The Irish Times liveblog will begin at 2.45pm. On TV: Live on BT Sport.
A dozen players are in line to make their Munster debuts when the province face Wasps in their opening Heineken Champions Cup match against Wasps in Coventry on.
Of the 12 players, eight are members of the Munster academy, and the starting XV features five debutants, the academy quartet of 19-year-old Young Munster fullback Patrick Campbell, a former Cork All-Ireland minor football champion, 21-year-old hooker Scott Buckley, Waterpark lock Eoin O’Connor and 19-year-old Irish Under-20s number 8 Daniel Okeke, as well as prop James French.
John Hodnett has recovered from a short-term ankle injury to make his first start in 13 months, and his Champions Cup debut, having missed the majority of last season with an Achilles injury.
As expected the team does contain nine internationals, among them Conor Murray, Damian de Allende and Chris Farrell, who will make their seasonal re-appearances for the province. It will be Farrell’s 50th Munster appearance after returning from an abdomen injury, and his first game since June.
Campbell starts at fullback with Andrew Conway and Keith Earls on either flank. De Allende and Farrell team up in the centres with Murray and Joey Carbery in the halfbacks.
Dave Kilcoyne packs down in the front row with Buckley and French. Tadhg Beirne starts alongside O’Connor in the second row as captain Peter O’Mahony, Hodnett and Okeke complete the side.
Roman Salanoa is among the replacements having recovered from a knee injury with seven players in line to make their Munster debuts off the bench.
Summer addition Declan Moore and academy quartet Mark Donnelly, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler and Jonathan Wren are all included.
Also named are Cork Constitution’s John Forde, a product of PBC and member of the provincial talent squad, and Young Munster’s Conor Moloney, a member of the national talent squad.
Moloney came up through the ranks at Ennis RFC in the same team as Coughlan and Butler with the trio lining out for the Ennis RFC under-18s as recently as last year.
WASPS: Marcus Watson; Zach Kibirige, Michael Le Bourgeois, Jimmy Gopperth, Josh Bassett; Jacob Umaga, Sam Wolstenholme; Tom West, Dan Frost, Bi Alo; Sebastian de Chaves, Elliott Stooke; Alfie Barbeary, Brad Shields (capt), Tom Willis.
Replacements: Gabriel Oghre, Robin Hislop, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Tim Cardall, Nizaam Carr, Thomas Young, Will Porter, Francois Hougaard,
MUNSTER: Patrick Campbell; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Keith Earls; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Scott Buckley, James French; Eoin O'Connor, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O'Mahony (capt), John Hodnett, Daniel Okeke.
Replacements: Declan Moore, Mark Donnelly, Roman Salanoa, John Forde, Conor Moloney, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Jonathan Wren.
Referee: Romain Poite (France).
