In all there are four personnel changes and three positional switches to the side that secured a bonus-point win against Connacht last weekend.
Burns is unavailable due to the shoulder injury he sustained against Connacht, while Nankivell was unable to train this week due to a knock and was unavailable for selection.
Liam Coombes picked up a knock at training this week and was also unavailable.
Josh Wycherley and Oli Jager come into the front row while Butler and Calvin Nash come into the backline.
Thaakir Abrahams moves to the left wing, Tom Farrell moves to inside centre and Shane Daly takes up his position at outside centre.
Gavin Coombes makes his 100th appearance for Munster.
Mike Haley continues at full-back where he is joined by Nash and Abrahams on the wings.
Craig Casey and Butler form the half-back partnership while Farrell and Daly start in the centre.
Wycherley, captain Diarmuid Barron and Jager pack down in the front row with the unchanged partnership of Jean Kleyn and Fineen Wycherley lining out at second row.
The back row remains unchanged with Ruadhán Quinn, John Hodnett and Coombes completing the starting 15.
Elsewhere, Connacht have made four changes from the side that narrowly lost to Munster last week to take on the Sharks at the Dexcom Stadium tomorrow night (7.35pm)
Niall Murray and Shane Jennings come in for the injured Joe Joyce and Shayne Bolton, while Finlay Bealham and debutant David O'Connor replace Jack Aungier and Darragh Murray, who were both selected in the Emerging Ireland tour of South Africa.
There will be a landmark appearance for prop Denis Buckley who will make his 250th appearance for the club.
The Roscommon man becomes just the third player to reach the milestone – after John Muldoon and Michael Swift – and lines out in a front row of three double centurions, with Dave Heffernan and Bealham alongside him.
Piers O'Conor starts again in the centre, while Mack Hansen is again on the wing after a successful comeback from a shoulder injury last week.
The only change on the 6:2 bench sees Paul Boyle wear the number 23 shirt in place of Sean Jansen who has also linked up with Emerging Ireland.
Outside the camp, Connacht's Jordan Duggan was withdrawn from the Emerging Ireland tour after suffering an ankle injury in training. He's replaced by Alex Usanov of Leinster.
Meanwhile, Werner Kok will get his first Ulster start for their clash with the Lions tomorrow in Johannesburg (11.55am Irish time), while John Cooney returns from injury.
Alan O’Connor captains the team in the second row, where he is joined by Kieran Treadwell.
Andy Warwick starts at loosehead prop, joined by John Andrew at hooker and tighthead prop, Tom O’Toole, to form the front row.
Packing down behind the front five, Matty Rea gets the nod at blindside flanker, with Sean Reffell starting on the openside. Nick Timoney retains his position at number 8.
The half-back partnership sees Cooney make a return at scrum-half after a hamstring injury ruled him out of the opening round last weekend.
After scoring a try on his debut last week in the win over Glasgow Warriors, Aidan Morgan, again starts at 10.
Head coach Richie Murphy makes two changes to the backline, with Stuart McCloskey back in the squad and starting at inside centre, alongside outside centre Stewart Moore.
After getting a taste of action from the bench last week, this weekend will see South African winger Kok make his first start in an Ulster jersey.
Jacob Stockdale provides the threat going forward from the left wing.
Ethan McIlroy retains his spot at full-back, completing the starting XV.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Shane Daly, Tom Farrell, Thaakir Abrahams; Tony Butler, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron (capt), Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Ruadhán Quinn, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Jack Daly, Jack O'Donoghue, Conor Murray, Bryan Fitzgerald, Shay McCarthy.
Connacht: Santiago Cordero; Mack Hansen, Piers O'Conor, Cathal Forde, Shane Jennings; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Niall Murray, David O’Connor; Josh Murphy, Conor Oliver, Cian Prendergast (capt).
Replacements: Dylan Tierney-Martin, Peter Dooley, Sam Illo, Oisín Dowling, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Caolin Blade, David Hawkshaw, Paul Boyle.
Ulster: Ethan McIlroy; Werner Kok, Stewart Moore, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Aidan Morgan, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, John Andrew, Tom O’Toole; Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor (capt); Matty Rea, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: James McCormick, Eric O’Sullivan, Corrie Barrett, Iain Henderson, James McNabney, Nathan Doak, Mike Lowry, David McCann.
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