Munster name side to face the Ospreys

Donncha O’Callaghan will partner Paul O’Connell in the second row when Munster face Pro12 pacesetters the Ospreys tomorrow evening (6.30pm kick-off).

O'Callaghan replaces Billy Holland in the Munster engine room while Dave Kilcoyne makes his first start of the season, coming in alongside BJ Botha and Duncan Casey in the front row.

Behind the scrum, Conor Murray has been handed the captaincy at scrumhalf while Gerhard van den Heever comes in for Simon Zebo on the left wing.

The Ospreys arrive in Limerick on the back of a perfect start to the season but coach Steve Tandy is not getting too carried away just yet.

“We’ve had a good start to the season, but we’ve got to remember that’s all it is, a start,” he said today.

“When you look at the run of fixtures coming up, from Munster this weekend through to the derby against the Blues at the Liberty in a couple of weeks and into Europe, it’s exciting but daunting at the same time.

“By this time next month we’ll have a much clearer picture of where this group actually is in terms of its development.

“Looking at the weekend’s game, it’ll be a big step up from what we’ve had so far in terms of intensity. Munster at Thomond Park is always a difficult environment for an away team, so we know that we will have to prepare properly and be on top of our game out there.

“There’ll be tough moments, especially for a young team, but we know that they will give nothing less than 100 per cent for the cause, whatever the outcome. It’s going to be a fantastic experience for some of these young men who are still learning their trade, and is another big step forward in their development.”

Munster: Johne Murphy: Andrew Conway, Ivan Dineen, Denis Hurley, Gerhard van den Heever; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray (capt); Dave Kilcoyne, Duncan Casey, BJ Botha; Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell; Paddy Butler, Sean Dougall, CJ Stander. Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, James Cronin, Stephen Archer, Dave Foley, Jack O’Donoghue, Duncan Williams, JJ Hanrahan, Andrew Smith.

Ospreys: Dan Evans; Jeff Hassler, Andrew Bishop, Josh Matavesi, Eli Walker; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Aaron Jarvis; Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Rynier Bernardo; Joe Bearman, Justin Tipuric, Dan Baker. Replacements: Sam Parry, Duncan Jones, Dmitri Arhip, James King, Morgan Allen, Martin Roberts, Sam Davies, Hanno Dirksen.