A damaged hamstring keeps Dempsey out of the Whites side and he will be replaced by Bryn Cunningham while Costello has a thigh strain and so Aidan McCullen moves from blindside flanker to No.8, with David Wallace switching to No.6 and Colm McMahon coming into the team to play openside flanker. On the replacements bench, Niall Breslin replaces Aidan Kearney and Niall Best replaces McMahon.

The Colours team loses David Quinlan because the Leinster man has hamstring trouble and he is replaced by an in-form Mike Mullins. A troublesome ankle means Ronan O'Gara misses out, he is replaced by Mark McHugh and in the pack, John Hayes (groin) and Anthony Foley (neck) are replaced by Simon Best and Denis Leamy, with Shane Byrne taking over the captaincy role from the injured Foley.

Whites: B Cunningham (Ulster); G D'Arcy (Leinster), J Kelly (Munster), J Bell (Ulster), A Horgan (Munster); D Humphreys capt (Ulster), P Stringer (Munster); R Corrigan (Leinster), F Sheahan (Munster), E Byrne (Leinster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), M O'Kelly (Leinster), D Wallace (Munster), A McCullan (Leinster), C McMahon (Munster). Replacements: J Blaney (Munster), J Fitzpatrick (Ulster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), N Best (Ulster), B O'Riordan (Leinster), J Holland (Munster), T Robinson (Connacht).

Colours: J Staunton (Munster); S Horgan (Leinster), M Mullins (Leinster), R Henderson (Munster), D Hickie (Leinster); M McHugh (Connacht), B O'Meara (Leinster); M Horan (Munster), S Byrne capt(Leinster), S Best (Ulster), L Cullen (Leinster), P O'Connell (Munster), A Quinlan (Munster), D Leamy (Munster), K Gleeson (Leinster). Replacements: J Flannery (Connacht), M Cahill (Munster) D Browne (Connacht), AN Other, E Reddan (Connacht), B Cunningham (Ulster), M Lawlor (Munster).