Jones, Downey Back for Italy Trip

Felix Jones and James Downey return to the Munster starting XV for the first time since the game against Racing Metro in mid January, for the trip to Italy and the RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Benetton Treviso at Stadio di Monigo on Sunday (3pm).

Jones had minor surgery on a knee after that Racing Metro game on January 20th that has kept him sidelined till now. Downey's last outing was also in that game and he's missed the last two with a rib injury.

Casey Laulala is another who returns to the starting XV for the first time since he partnered Downey in the RaboDirect PRO12 match against Ulster in Thomond Park Stadium just after Christmas. He did play off the bench in the subsequent games against Blues, Edinburgh and Metro, then missed the next two while back home in New Zealand but returned to action as a 49th minute replacement for Ivan Dineen in Parc Y Scarlets last Saturday.

James Coughlan and Tommy O'Donnell return from the Ireland set-up to make the trip as does Damien Varley who was a late withdrawal from the squad last weekend (knee injury) for the trip to Wales.

The Munster squad who will again be captained by Mike Sherry, travel to Dublin this evening where they'll overnight before catching an early flight to Venice in the morning.

Munster: F Jones; D Hurley, C Laulala, J Downey, J Murphy; I Keatley, D Williams; W du Preez, M Sherry capt, S Archer; I Nagle, B Holland; P Butler, T O'Donnell, J Coughlan. Replacements: D Varley, J Ryan, BJ Botha, D Foley, CJ Stander, C Sheridan, JJ Hanrahan, I Dineen.