Munster look to Keane

Mark McDermott and Shane Leahy return to the Munster starting line-up for tomorrow's Heineken Cup Pool D tie against Bourgoin…

Mark McDermott and Shane Leahy return to the Munster starting line-up for tomorrow's Heineken Cup Pool D tie against Bourgoin at Thomond Park, while Killian Keane reverts to out-half at the expense of Ronan O'Gara with Conor Burke coming into the midfield.

Frank Sheahan, a late call-up at hooker, makes way, as does Ultan O'Callaghan, originally selected at number eight but moved to the second-row when Leahy withdrew.

O'Gara, as manager Jerry Holland concedes, had been doing well in Keane's initial absence from the team "but we feel Killian would be the guy we'd identify for a game like this. We feel he can give us a bit more direction and bit more control."

Bourgoin, for their part, have made three changes and a couple of positional switches in light of their 45-7 defeat by Harlequins. The props Olivier Milloud and Pascal Peyron replace Laurent Gomez and David Morgan while behind the scrum 20-year-old Olympic junior sprinter David Ganin comes in on the left-wing with Yoann Bohu moving to centre replacing the veteran Gilles Cassagne. Last week's full-back Nigel Geany and out-half Patrice Favre switch positions.

Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times