Province will play without a number eight jersey against Racing 92, in tribute to the late Anthony Foley

Charlie O’Shea, the 20-year-old Munster academy outhalf, will start for Munster and make his Champions Cup debut against Racing 92 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday (kick-off 8pm).

The 22-year-old flanker Seán Edogbo will also make his European debut in the starting back-row and alongside him, in a tribute to Anthony Foley, Brian Gleeson will wear the number 24 jersey - just as CJ Stander did when Munster beat Glasgow 10 years ago.

All told there are six changes to the starting XV from last week’s 26-26 draw against Ulster in Belfast. Along with Edogbo, Jack Aungier, Tom Ahern, John Hodnett and Gleeson come into the forward pack, with O’Shea the one change in the backline.

O’Shea has only played three times for Munster, his sole start being a two-try, man-of-the-match display in the win over the Bulls a fortnight ago, when Edogbo made just his fourth start for the province. Summer signings Aungier, Marnus van der Merwe and Kieran Brookes will all make their first Champions Cup appearances for Munster.

In a youthful and exciting selection by Clayton McMillan, there will be two further Champions Cup debutants on the bench in 23-year-old hooker Max Clein, and 21-year-old scrumhalf Ben O’Donovan. Both of them, like the younger Edogbo, were promoted from the academy to the senior squad ahead of this season.

In the week which marks the 10th anniversary of Foley’s passing on the day Munster were scheduled to play Racing 92 in Paris, there will be a series of special tributes and commemorative activities, in addition to the number eight jersey again being retired for the day.

Head Coach Clayton McMillan said: “The players are determined to put in a performance that Axel would be proud of. He is spoken about every day in our building and we are thinking of him and his family more than ever this week, 10 years on from his shock passing.

“While it will be an emotional day, the players know that the best way to honour his incredible legacy is to play the game with the right mentality and produce a committed team performance that shows how much they care for the jersey and the province.

“It’s exciting to see young players Seán Edogbo and Charlie O’Shea start on their Champions Cup debuts in another step forward in their development.

“Max Clein and Ben O’Donovan are two young men who moved up from the Academy to the senior squad in the summer and are named in a Champions Cup squad for the first time and we have every confidence in them if called upon.

“Marnus van der Merwe, Jack Aungier and Kieran Brookes are seasoned campaigners who have already played at this level. They get to do so with Munster for the first time tomorrow night and we have been really pleased with their contributions since joining in the summer.“

Munster Rugby: Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Alex Nankivell, Dan Kelly, Seán O’Brien; Charlie O’Shea, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Marnus van der Merwe, Jack Aungier; Tom Ahern, Tadhg Beirne (C); Seán Edogbo, John Hodnett, Brian Gleeson. Replacements: Max Clein, Josh Wycherley, Kieran Brookes, Fineen Wycherley, Gavin Coombes, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Jack O’Donoghue.