Published Thursday, 29 December 2011
With two games within the space of four days, McLaughlin has coached two separate teams for the matches and the line-up for this Friday has a much more familiar look to it.
However, Ulster are without a number of players due to injury and a bout of tummy bug in the squad, while the Ireland internationals are also unavailable due to a training camp.
"It's a huge game for it, it's at Ravenhill and it's against Munster. When the fixture list came out we were not very happy with the fact that we had a four day turnaround but we just have to manage the scheduling as best we can." said McLaughlin.
"We want to put our best team out on the pitch as often as we possibly can, but Irish Management Programme looks after the Internationals and we have to look after the rest of the players as well.
"So we took the decision, and it was not taken lightly, to run two separate squads for two games."
An ankle injury sustained by Nevin Spence during Ulster's trip to Aironi sees Ian Whitten recalled to the starting XV for the first time since Ulster faced Treviso at Ravenhill on 7 October.
He will partner Darren Cave in the centre while Stefan Terblanche will make his first starting appearance for Ulster since arriving at the beginning of December.
The South African, brought in as cover for the injured Jared Payne on a short-term contract, has come off the bench twice for Ulster so far.
Elsewhere, Willie Faloon makes a return to the back row alongside Pedrie Wannenburg and Chris Henry while Callum Black, Ali Birch, Chris Farrell and Peter Nelson, who all made their Ulster debuts against Leinster, are named amongst the replacements.
Ulster: A D'Arcy; C Gilroy, D Cave, I Whitten, S Terblanche; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; P McAllister, A Kyriacou, J Afoa, J Muller (capt., D Tuohy, P Wannenburg, W Faloon, C Henry
Replacements: N Brady, C Black, A Macklin, L Stevenson, A Birch, P Marshall, C Farrell, P Nelson