FRANCIS SAILI COULD make his first appearance of the season as he is named on the bench for Munster’s sold-out Pro12 clash against Leinster on St Stephen’s Day.

The New Zealand-born centre has been out of action since undergoing shoulder surgery at the end of last season.

There are two changes in the pack following Munster’s last-gasp defeat by Leicester, with James Cronin alongside Niall Scannell and John Ryan in the front row, while Jean Kleyn starts with Donnacha Ryan in the second row.

Captain Peter O’Mahony, Tommy O’Donnell and CJ Stander all retain their places in the backrow, while Conor Murray and Tyler Bleyendaal also continue as the halfback pairing.

There is just one change in the backline, with Ronan O’Mahony coming in for Keith Earls.

Munster

15. Simon Zebo
14. Darren Sweetnam
13. Jaco Taute
12. Rory Scannell
11. Ronan O’Mahony
10. Tyler Bleyendaal
9. Conor Murray

1. James Cronin
2. Niall Scannell
3. John Ryan
4. Jean Kleyn
5. Donnacha Ryan
6. Peter O’Mahony (Captain)
7. Tommy O’Donnell
8. CJ Stander

Replacements

16. Rhys Marshall
17. Dave Kilcoyne
18. Stephen Archer
19. Billy Holland
20. Jack O’Donoghue
21. Duncan Williams
22. Francis Saili
23. Andrew Conway

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