O’Connell starts against Edinburgh

Paul O’Connell will lead Munster in the Magners league game against Edinburgh on Friday night while Brian Carney has been handed the number 15 jersey.

O’Connell last saw action for Munster in the final Heineken Cup Pool game against Leicester Tigers in mid-January and then went on international duty captaining Ireland in the RBS Six Nations outing against France at Croke Park before a fractured thumb ruled him out of the final game in the championship and Munster’s quarter final against Llanelli Scarlets.

Carney withdrew from last weekend’s game just before half time with a slight hamstring twinge but has recovered and this time around makes his fourth appearance in a Munster shirt bearing the number fifteen.

Anthony Foley was forced to withdraw from the side last Saturday shortly before kick-off with a stomach ailment but he is back in the side as is Anthony Horgan and Argentina bound Tony Buckley.

Munster: Brian Carney; Anthony Horgan, Barry Murphy, Lifeimi Mafi, Ian Dowling; Ronan O’Gara, Tomas O’Leary; Federico Pucciariello, Frank Sheahan, Tony Buckley; Mick O’Driscoll, Paul O’Connell capt; Alan Quinlan, John O’Sullivan, Anthony Foley. Replacements: Denis Fogarty, Frank Roche, David Wallace, Denis Leamy, Brian O’Meara, Jeremy Manning, Mossy Lawlor.