Champions Cup teams: Ruan Pienaar back for Ulster

Ruan Pienaar and Dan Tuohy have recovered from injury and have been named in the Ulster team to face Scarlets in the European Rugby Champions Cup at Kingspan Stadium tomorrow at 7.45pm.

It will be Pienaar's first appearance of the season, while Tuohy returns having suffered a broken arm against Cardiff in September.

In total Ulster head coach Neil Doak has made four changes to the side that lost narrowly to Munster in Limerick, with Ireland internationals Tommy Bowe and Robbie Diack also returning to the side.

The front row remains unchanged with Callum Black and Wiehahn Herbst starting either side of captain Rory Best.

Tuohy returns alongside Franco van der Merwe in the second-row. Roger Wilson, who will make his 40th European appearance for Ulster, is selected at openside. Nick Williams continues at Number 8 and Diack comes in on the blindside.

In the backs, Pienaar and Humphreys start together for the first time since Ulster's European quarter-final win over Munster in 2012, while Stuart Olding moves from fullback to inside-centre alongside Darren Cave.

Craig Gilroy starts on the left wing, with Bowe on the right, while Louis Ludik begins the game at full back.

Ulster desperately need a win after losing both their opening Pool 3 games.

Ulster XV (v Scarlets): L Ludik; T Bowe, D Cave, S Olding, C Gilroy, I Humphreys, R Pienaar; C Black, R Best (Capt), W Herbst, D Tuohy, F vd Merwe, R Diack, R Wilson, N Williams.

Replacements: R Herring, A Warwick, D Fitzpatrick, A O'Connor, C Ross, P Marshall, S McCloskey, M Allen.

Munster head coach Anthony Foley has named his side to face Clermont Auvergne at a sold-out Thomond Park on Saturday, 5.30pm (Live commentary, RTÉ Radio 1).

Munster's international contingent return to the starting XV with Dave Foley, Paul O'Connell, Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Simon Zebo included for the first time since the Saracens encounter in round two.

The seven changes from last weekend's squad also sees Tommy O'Donnell and Felix Jones promoted to the starting line-up this week.

Foley keeps faith with the same front row of Dave Kilcoyne, Duncan Casey and BJ Botha, and introduces the second row pairing of O'Connell and Foley in the front five.

CJ Stander retains his place at number 8 and is joined by O'Mahony and O'Donnell in completing the back-row.

Murray and Ian Keatley renew their half-back pairing, while centre Pat Howard makes his first European appearance for the province, starting alongside Denis Hurley for the second time.

With Zebo returning to the side Gerhard van den Heever makes the positional switch to the opposite wing as Jones completes the back three.

In the replacements, hooker Kevin O'Byrne is named in his first European squad while prop James Croninin is included after successfully rehabbing an ankle injury.

Munster lead Pool 1 after winning their opening games against Saracens and Sale.

Munster XV (v Clermont): F Jones; G van den Heever, P Howard, D Hurley, S Zebo; I Keatley, C Murray; D Kilcoyne, D Casey, BJ Botha; P O'Connell, D Foley; P O'Mahony (cpt)., T O'Donnell, CJ Stander.

Replacements: K O'Byrne, J Cronin, S Archer, B Holland, S Dougall, D Williams, JJ Hanrahan, J Murphy.

Leinster coach Matt O'Connor has made 10 changes for his side's Pool 2 visit to Harlequins (Sunday, 3.15pm).

Both sides have two wins from two so far, with the back-to-back games looking likely to decide the pool winners.

Seven of the changes to the team that beat the Ospreys last week are in the pack, with only Jordi Murphy retained in the back row. The three other changes are at full back, outside centre and left wing.

It's a new front row with Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin and Mike Ross coming in from their success with the Irish team in the Autumn Series.

In the second row, Mike McCarthy was named to start last weekend but was withdrawn as a precaution and after passing the return-to-play protocols this week he has once again been named to start with Devin Toner locking down beside him on what is his 155th appearance for the province.

In the back row, Jamie Heaslip returns to captain the team from Number 8 with Rhys Ruddock winning his 90th cap at blindside-flanker and Jordi Murphy making his first start in Europe this season having missed rounds one and two with a shoulder injury.

In the backs Rob Kearney returns to full back with Zane Kirchner reverting to the bench, while Darragh Fanning continues his remarkable run of games.

He is the only Leinster player to have started and finished every game for Leinster this season. To date he has five tries to his name and was named Bank of Ireland Player of the Month for September.

On the left wing Luke Fitzgerald has recovered from the tightness he felt in the lead up to the Treviso game in the PRO12 and is named from the start.

In the halfbacks, last week's captain, Eoin Reddan, and Jimmy Gopperth, who had a 100% record from the boot against the Ospreys, continue at scrumhalf and outhalf, while Ian Madigan has recovered from the ankle injury that forced his withdrawal at half time to link up with the returning Gordon D'Arcy in the centre.

Dominic Ryan and Dave Kearney have both missed out on selection due to injury. Both pulled up in training on Tuesday with quad and hip issues respectively.

However, neither player is a long-term concern and with a quick turnaround of games and returning internationals available for selection, neither player is being risked with a big two weeks of Champions Cup ahead and the inter-provincial games only around the corner.

Leinster XV (v Harlequins): R Kearney; D Fanning, G D'Arcy, I Madigan, L Fitzgerald; J Gopperth, E Reddan; J McGrath, S Cronin, M Ross; D Toner, M McCarthy; R Ruddock, J Murphy, J Heaslip (capt).

Replacements: B Byrne, M Bent, T Furlong, K Douglas, J Conan, I Boss, N Reid, Z Kirchner.

Pat Lam has made just one switch for Connacht's round 3 Challenge Cup clash with French side Bayonne at the Sportsground on Saturday (kick off 5pm).

Lock Mick Kearney comes in to boost the pack in place of the injured Andrew Browne while Michael Swift, capped 266 times for the province, has been included amongst the replacements.

Jack Carty is named at outhalf for his tenth start of the season and is partnered by Irish international Kieran Marmion.

Mils Muliaina and Bundee Aki will run out at the Sportsground for the third time in three weeks following back-to-back PRO12 wins in Galway.

Twenty-year-old Academy scrum half Caolin Blade, named on the bench in the absence of the injured Ian Porter and Leinster-tied John Cooney, is in line to make his third senior appearance.

Lam said: "Protecting our home ground is one of our main priorities and that drive continues this week. We have chosen a strong side to face Bayonne on Saturday in what is our last home game of the year.

"We've stated top six in the PRO12 as a big goal but we also have other aspirations to reach the knock out stages in the Challenge Cup. This will require input from the entire squad over the next fortnight. We know we will have to rely on everyone going into a difficult period of games over the Christmas period."

Connacht XV (v Bayonne): M Muliaina; D Poolman, B Aki, D McSharry, M Healy; J Carty, K Marmion; D Buckley, T McCartney, R Ah You; M Kearney, Q Roux; J Muldoon (capt), E McKeon, G Naoupu.

Replacements: D Heffernan, R Loughney, F Bealham, M Swift, W Faloon, C Blade, C Ronaldson, D Leader.

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