URC: Munster v Edinburgh, Virgin Media Park (7.45, live on TG4, Premier Sports)
Munster’s ongoing orientation process in personnel terms continues apace. A combination of injuries, those sidelined and others on the way back requiring game time, and the player management programme, within the province and in the national context, have informed head coach Clayton McMillan’s options once again to a degree.
The New Zealander has previously touched on his commitment to give individuals a chance to prove their worth and that is borne out by the statistic that will have used 35 players in the province’s first three United Rugby Championship matches.
By order, outhalf Jack Crowley had to sit out one match in the first block of four URC games. He does so tonight as Munster travel to face Leinster at Croke Park on Saturday week.
Shane Daly picked up a head injury against Cardiff and is following the return to play protocols as is Tom Ahern who caught a stray boot to the face in training during the week. Hooker Niall Scannell picked up a laceration to his hand. All three started against the Welsh club but McMillan makes a further seven changes.
RM Block
There’s a “fresh” backline including first league appearances in the new campaign for wings Calvin Nash and Andrew Smith, last season’s player of the year, centre, Tom Farrell and up front, prop Michael Milne. JJ Hanrahan (head injury) and Mike Haley return at outhalf and fullback, Sean O’Brien exchanges the bench for a starting role as does scrumhalf Paddy Patterson.
Diarmuid Barron, a try scorer last week, comes in at hooker and will captain the team while Jack O’Donoghue replaces Ahern. The 22-year-old Cobh secondrow Edwin Edogbo is sure to receive a warm welcome when summoned from the bench as he plays his first competitive game since the Leinster match in December 2023, when he tore his Achilles tendon.
Another long-term injury victim Roman Salanoa is expected to feature for Nenagh Ormond in the AIL this weekend. McMillan said: “He’s [Edogbo] a big human first and foremost and everyone around him speaks really highly of his ability.
“He’s been back in full training for three or four weeks now and he understands how to use his size to his advantage, particularly around his ball carry and close contact work. It’s going to be important. He gives us something a little bit different and hopefully he can inject that off the bench.”
The New Zealander expanded on the reasons behind the swingeing changes: “We’ve had a lot of people that have put a lot of work in over the preseason and over the first month of the URC we wanted to give as many people an opportunity to stake their claim and this week was an opportunity to do that. Week one and two was an opportunity for us to build some cohesion and have some consistency of selection.
“A number of those outside backs have been out with injuries, so we’re keen to get them back in and just create that internal competition.”
When asked about scrumhalf Craig Casey’s (hamstring) rehabilitation Munster’s head coach explained that while he would love to play him in the Leinster match, he won’t take any risks. “He [Casey] still has strong ambitions of featuring for Ireland in the game against the All Blacks and if playing him next week puts him at risk then we won’t do that.
“It’s a long season and given his importance to this team, I would think Irish rugby will do what’s best for the player. He’s not ruled out at this stage, but it is something that we’ve been taking a conservative approach with.”
Edinburgh didn’t have a match last week as Storm Amy put paid to their clash with Ulster at the Hive stadium. Rested or rusty? The answer to that will be revealed in Cork. The Scottish club are able to call upon several Lions, wings Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe, prop Pierre Schoemann, and hooker Ewan Ashman.
There’ll be a couple of familiar faces in Edinburgh colours, Tipperary-born former Munster outhalf Ben Healy and centre Piers O’Conor, who spent time at Connacht. The last time these two sides met – Munster have three starters from that night, Edinburgh, seven – on February 28th coincidentally at tonight’s venue, Edinburgh prevailed 34-28.
The result has been a focal point in some of the in-house discussions in Munster. McMillan said: “[Edinburgh are] a quality side with a lot of international talent. A lot has been spoken in the four walls here about the way they went around sort of dismantling us earlier on in the year, and so we know that we have to be a hell of a lot better than what we were last week to get the job done.
“Only time will tell what the week off will mean for them. I know for us, getting battle hardened and trying to find a rhythm is important. But equally, having a week off to just fine tune how you approach this game could be advantageous for them as well. We’ll have a few questions answered [tonight].”
As a statement it has a broader theme from a Munster perspective, where players can make a downpayment to regular involvement. If the lessons of Cardiff have been absorbed then a third consecutive victory should ensue.
Munster: M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, S O’Brien, A Smith; JJ Hanrahan, P Patterson; M Milne, D Barron (capt), O Jager; J Kleyn, F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue, R Quinn, G Coombes. Replacements: L Barron, J Wycherley, J Ryan, E Edogbo, B Gleeson, E Coughlan, T Butler, D Kelly.
Edinburgh: W Goosen; D Graham, P O’Conor, J Lang, D van der Merwe; B Healy, B Vellacott; P Schoeman, E Ashman, D Rae; M Sykes, S Skinner; L McConnell, D Richardson, M Bradbury (capt). Replacements: P Harrison, B Venter, P Hill, G Young, F Douglas, B Muncaster, C Shiel, H Paterson.
Referee: B Whitehouse (Wales)
