Hooker Niall Scannell and tighthead prop John Ryan, who retire at the end of the season, are likely to play their final games at Thomond Park when Munster take on the Lions on Saturday (kick-off 7.45pm).
Scannell, who has made 210 appearances for the province and earned 20 caps for Ireland, starts while Ryan, with 256 appearances for Munster and 26 for Ireland, is named among the replacements.
Munster head coach Clayton McMillan welcomes back outhalf Jack Crowley from injury, but captain Tadhg Beirne, Jean Kleyn, Edwin Edogbo, Tom Farrell and Calvin Nash are some of the players who will miss out.
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Diarmuid Barron is named on the bench after the yellow card he received during last weekend’s defeat to Connacht, which was subsequently upgraded to a 20-minute red, was rescinded following a disciplinary hearing.
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A statement from the independent disciplinary committee read: “The player accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but that his actions did not merit a red card.”
The committee reviewed the incident and agreed an act of foul play had occurred but found the level of danger could not be clearly justified in order to upgrade the sanction to a red card.
Craig Casey captains the province in Beirne’s absence, with five changes to the side that faced Connacht in Galway.
Seán O’Brien and Crowley come into the backline, with Scannell, Jack O’Donoghue and Brian Gleeson starting in the pack.
MUNSTER (v Lions): M Haley; A Smith, A Nankivell, D Kelly, S O’Brien; J Crowley, C Casey (capt); J Loughman, N Scannell, M Ala’alatoa; T Ahern, F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue, J Hodnett, B Gleeson. Replacements: D Barron, J Wycherley, J Ryan, E O’Connell, G Coombes, B O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, A Kendellen.
