Munster v Australia: Teams

Munster will be bolstered by the inclusion of Ireland trio Keith Earls, Johne Murphy and Damien Varley for their clash with Australia.

At Thomond Park, Tuesday November 16, kick-off 8pm

Munster will be bolstered by the inclusion of Ireland trio Keith Earls, Johne Murphy and Damien Varley for their clash with Australia at Thomond Park. Earls, Murphy and Varley have been released from the national team to play in Tuesday's friendly - and the trio will be included in a strong line-up. Coach Tony McGahan will hand a debut to prop Peter Borlase, who only arrived from Canterbury on Thursday, while James Coughlan captains the side. Sam Tuitupou also makes his return after completing his three-week suspension, however Alan Quinlan faces a late fitness test. If Quinlan misses out Brian Hayes will join fellow academy players Conor Murray and Mike Sherry on the bench.

Opprtunity

Australia coach Robbie Deans has made four changes to his midweek line-up. Saia Faingaa, Ben Daley and Dean Mumm come into the pack, while Luke Morahan earns his first start for the Wallabies on the wing. There is also a positional change, with Lachie Turner moving from the wing to full-back. On the bench, Tatafu Polota-Nau is included after teaming up with the tourists as cover. "This is another great opportunity for these guys to get as close to Test rugby as you'll get," said Deans. "We're playing against teams full of international players and this week will be tougher again. "Munster have a history of taking international scalps; their combinations are more like international ones than provincial, and this is will be a great challenge for us." Munster: 15 Johne Murphy, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Denis Hurley, 10 Paul Warwick, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 James Coughlan (capt), 7 Niall Ronan, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Ian Nagle, 4 Billy Holland, 3 Peter Borlase, 2 Damien Varley, 1 Wian Du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Stephen Archer, 18 Alan Quinlan/Brian Hayes, 19 Tommy O'Donnell, 20 Conor Murray, 21 Scott Deasy, 22 Barry Murphy. Australia:15 Lachie Turner, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Pat McCabe , 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Luke Morahan, 10 Berrick Barnes (c), 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Richard Brown, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements:16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Van Humphries, 19 Pat McCutcheon, 20 Nick Phipps, 21 Matt Giteau, 22 Peter Hynes.