DTH van der Merwe starts for Glasgow Warriors against Muster

Glasgow Warriors' DTH van der Merwe is tackled by Ulster's Niall O'Connor

On what will be his last appearance in a Warriors shirt, the Canadian winger is preferred to Niko Matawalu who drops to the bench.

Van der Merwe, who will join Welsh side the Scarlets in the summer, scored a vital late try as a substitute against Ulster in last weekend’s dramatic semi-final win at Scotstoun.

Club captain Al Kellock will also be on the bench for his Glasgow swan-song, with Fijian Leone Nakarawa replacing him in the second row.

Dougie Hall who, like Kellock, will also make his final appearance for the Warriors before retiring, replaces Fraser Brown at hooker.

Gordon Reid replaces the injured Ryan Grant at loosehead, while Rossouw de Klerk will start his third consecutive game for the Warriors at tight-head.

Rob Harley returns to the starting XV for the first since the defeat to the Ospreys at the beginning of May and he’ll be joined in the backrow by Ryan Wilson.

Josh Strauss starts at No 8 and will captain the side in the club’s second major final.

Henry Pyrgos continues at scrum-half on his 99th appearance for the club.

Townsend said: “It’s been an enjoyable week preparing for another final and it’s essential we use the experience of last season to put in a performance of which we can all be proud.

“The way the team came back to win last week against Ulster underlined the work ethic and belief the players have in each other, and we expect to see more of that on display in Belfast tomorrow.

“Munster are a quality side who have been at the top end of the table all season. They play a direct brand of rugby, balanced with dangerous attackers in their backline, so we’ll have to give our best defensive effort of the season.

“Our supporters have got behind the team in large numbers home and away and we’re looking forward to playing in front of them one final time this season at the Kingspan Stadium.”

The final will be played at a neutral venue for the first time, with Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium hosting the match. Kick-off is at 6.30pm and the game will be shown live on Sky Sports 3 and BBC Two Scotland.

Glasgow Warriors team to play Munster, GUINNESS PRO12 Final, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, Saturday 30 May (kick-off 6.30pm) – live on Sky Sports 3 & BBC Two Scotland:

15. Stuart Hogg

14. Tommy Seymour

13. Richie Vernon

12. Peter Horne

11. DTH van der Merwe

10. Finn Russell

9. Henry Pyrgos

1. Gordon Reid

2. Dougie Hall

3. Rossouw de Klerk

4. Leone Nakarawa

5. Jonny Gray

6. Rob Harley

7. Ryan Wilson

8. Josh Strauss (Captain)

Replacements

16. Fraser Brown

17. Jerry Yanuyanutawa

18. Jon Welsh

19. Al Kellock

20. Chris Fusaro

21. Niko Matawalu

22. Duncan Weir

23. Sean Lamont