Munster will certainly not lack for experience at halfback on Saturday with Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara paired together from the off for the first time in 19 months. However, attention of the Munster fans has already turned to the substitutes bench, as starlet JJ Hanrahan is named in a Senior match 22 for the first time in a competitive fixture.
The Irish under 20’s out half is expected to make his Munster debut this Saturday night as he acts as cover for both 10 and 12. Injuries sustained in last weeks game against Ulster have ruled James Coughlan and Luke O’Dea out for a number of weeks and Denis Hurley and Ivan Dineen succumbed to illness this week forcing Rob Penney to ring the changes.
Ian Keatley comes in for Hurley at full back, a position he occupied for the latter end of the game last weekend while the loss of O’Dea who was in a rich vein of form is softened by the availability of international Simon Zebo.
Paddy Butler might have expected to be preparing for the A game later today against Connacht (Garryowen FC 5pm) but instead finds himself anchoring the scrum while after six games on the bounce Casey Laulala and Sean Dougall are given a break, Keith Earls in for Laulala at 13 with Niall Ronan back from injury to replace Dougall.
Munster: I Keatley; D Howlett capt, K Earls, J Downey, S Zebo; R O’Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, M Sherry, BJ Botha, Donncha O’Callaghan, B Holland; Dave O’Callaghan, N Ronan, P Butler. Replacements: D Varley, W du Preez, S Archer, D Foley, T O’Donnell, C Murray, D Barnes, JJ Hanrahan.
