Edinburgh v Munster: Teams
Edinburgh will come up against a much-changed Munster starting line-up at Murrayfield on Friday night.
Last Updated: 29/09/11 1:31pm
Edinburgh will come up against a much-changed Munster starting line-up at Murrayfield on Friday night.
Gunners head coach Michael Bradley has made three changes himself for the game against the reigning RaboDirect PRO12 champions, including naming Matt Scott at outside centre.
His selection means Jim Thompson regains the No.15 jersey and Tom Brown moves to the bench.
Up front, prop Lewis Niven and second-rower Grant Gilchrist are included in the starting XV with Shaun Knight and Steven Turnbull the men to make way.
Bradley knows his side face a tough battle against the visitors and believes competing at the breakdowns will be a key area in deciding the outcome.
Historically strong
"Munster are a side that are historically strong in the RaboDirect PRO12, they're the current champions and are off to a great start this season, so it's a good target for us to aim for," he said.
"Munster are, amongst other things, very competitive at the breakdown. We have to be conscious of their strong kicking game and of the positional pressure points they'll try to do squeeze.
"We need to be consistent in our delivery, accurate in our play (in attack and defence) and maintain absolute concentration for the full 80 minutes; if we do that we'll create opportunities and we'll score. If we don't, Munster will punish us.
"When we compete and go forward with quality ball, supporters will see some quality attacking play while, on the Munster side, they will look to keep it tight, put pressure on us and play in the right areas.
"Contrasting styles will be on display from the two sides and hopefully the home side will prevail."
Meanwhile, Munster coach Tony McGahan has made no fewer than 10 changes to the side that beat Cardiff Blues last week.
James Coughlan will miss the match due to a neck injury and Paddy Butler will take his place at number eight. Tom Gleeson, Peter Stringer, Denis Fogarty, John Hayes and Dave Foley, who started on the bench against the Blues, all get starting berths.
Foley will make only his second start for Munster and he will be paired with veteran Mick O'Driscoll in the second row.
Edinburgh:15 Jim Thompson, 14 Lee Jones, 13 Matt Scott, 12 James King, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Gregor Hunter, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Stuart McInally, 7 Roddy Grant, 6 David Denton, 5 Sean Cox, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Lewis Niven, 2 Steven Lawrie, 1 Kyle Traynor.
Replacements: 16 Alun Walker, 17 Robin Hislop, 18 Shaun Knight, 19 Esteban Lozada, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Chris Leck, 22 Phil Godman, 23 Tom Brown.
Munster: 15 Scott Deasy, 14 Johne Murphy, 13 Tom Gleeson, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Denis Hurley, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Paddy Butler, 7 Niall Ronan, 6 Tommy O'Donnell, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Dave Foley, 3 John Hayes, 2 Denis Fogarty, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 John Ryan, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Ian Nagle, 20 Peter O'Mahony, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Danny Barnes, 23 Simon Zebo.
