Skipper Paul O'Connell and fly-half Ronan O'Gara have recovered from injury in time to be named in Munster's starting line-up for Sunday's sell-out Heineken Cup opener against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road.
British & Irish Lions lock O'Connell missed last Friday's 21-10 defeat at home to Edinburgh in the Magners League, despite being named in the team. He withdrew in the hours before kick-off and was replaced by fellow Ireland international Mick O'Driscoll.
O'Gara, who has scored 764 points in his Heineken Cup career, was replaced after just nine minutes of that game after suffering a bruised shoulder. Both have come through training this week and take their expected places in the XV named on Friday.
Lifeimi Mafi, who recently arrived in Ireland from Taranaki in New Zealand, has been named on the bench after being registered as an "additional player". Heineken Cup rules this season allow clubs to register 38 players (including 10 capable of playing in the front row) for the tournament, but they also have the ability to replace a player who is injured. Centre Mafi has therefore been called up to replace the injured Tom Gleeson.
Munster declared a squad of 25 earlier in the week, with centre Diogo Mateus, lock Chris Wyatt and fly-half Eugene Hickey being the ones to miss out on the matchday squad.
British & Irish Lions lock O'Connell missed last Friday's 21-10 defeat at home to Edinburgh in the Magners League, despite being named in the team. He withdrew in the hours before kick-off and was replaced by fellow Ireland international Mick O'Driscoll.
O'Gara, who has scored 764 points in his Heineken Cup career, was replaced after just nine minutes of that game after suffering a bruised shoulder. Both have come through training this week and take their expected places in the XV named on Friday.
Lifeimi Mafi, who recently arrived in Ireland from Taranaki in New Zealand, has been named on the bench after being registered as an "additional player". Heineken Cup rules this season allow clubs to register 38 players (including 10 capable of playing in the front row) for the tournament, but they also have the ability to replace a player who is injured. Centre Mafi has therefore been called up to replace the injured Tom Gleeson.
Munster declared a squad of 25 earlier in the week, with centre Diogo Mateus, lock Chris Wyatt and fly-half Eugene Hickey being the ones to miss out on the matchday squad.
Munster
15 Shaun Payne
14 John Kelly
13 Barry Murphy
12 Trevor Halstead
11 Ian Dowling
10 Ronan O'Gara
9 Peter Stringer
1 Marcus Horan
2 Frank Sheahan
3 John Hayes
4 Donncha O'Callaghan
5 Paul O'Connell (captain)
6 Denis Leamy
7 David Wallace
8 Anthony Foley
Replacements
16 Andy Kyriacou
17 Federico Pucciariello
18 Mick O'Driscoll
19 Alan Quinlan
20 Tomas O'Leary
21 Jeremy Manning
22 Lifiemi Mafi
