MUNSTER rugby return to playing action this weekend as they take on Cardiff, in Irish Independent Park (Musgrave Park) on Saturday night at 7.35pm.
Anthony Foley’s men have been off since their 65-10 win over Sale Sharks in the final round of the Rugby Champions Cup pool stages.
Cardiff this weekend kicks off four straight weeks of action for Munster as they face three Welsh sides and Glasgow.
Earlier this season Munster defeated Cardiff 28-24 at the Arms Park and Foley will be looking for a repeat performance on Saturday as his side chases top spot in the league.
Qualification and seeding for next season’s Champions cup are based on a sides’ Pro12 campaign, so the next four weeks will be crucial for Munster as they prepare without their Irish international contingent.
Munster’s last eight fixtures in all tournaments have resulted in only three victories, however at home the Munstermen have lost just once in the Guinness PRO12 since round one. Munster have won their last six matches at Irish Independent Park in Cork since the Blues themselves won there on January 5, 2013.
Cardiff Blues’ last three matches in the PRO12 have all strangely been won by the away side on the day with the Welshmen winning their most recent away trip in the competition 11-9 against the Dragons at Rodney Parade. The Blues are winless against Irish provinces this season, slipping to four defeats and a draw in their encounters so far.
Squad Update:
With the international contingent away a number of Academy and Club players will join the Senior sessions for the next four-match PRO12 period.
On the injury front there is positive news for Luke O’Dea (hand) and Dave Kilcoyne (shoulder) this week as both return to full training. Kilcoyne’s response to full contact and scrummaging will be assessed as the week continues, and all going well he may be available for this Saturday’s Cardiff clash.
Denis Hurley who required further assessment on a shoulder injury sustained against Sale Sharks also made a return to contact training today while Andrew Smith (knee) and Cathal Sheridan (forearm) continue to make progress with their respective rehabilitation programmes.
Robin Copeland (shoulder) continues to be monitored and will meet with the consultant for a further review early next week.
Duncan Casey has been ruled out for the next four to six weeks after rolling his ankle during training in Lanzarote.
CJ Stander (ankle) and Johne Murphy (hand) are both progressing well at this stage. Murphy will undergo an x-ray later in the week to review the healing process and may make a return to contact next week.
Tyler Bleyendaal is settling well into his new environment and this week experienced his first week of training in Cork and Limerick. The New Zealander continues to follow his rehabilitation programme post disc-lesion surgery, and the medical team are continuing to assess his condition.
When referring to Bleyendaal’s status Head Coach Anthony Foley said, “It is important that people understand where we are with Tyler. He only underwent surgery in September and has a lengthy rehab period still ahead of him. We wanted to bring him over here to further assess the diagnosis and monitor his progress in-house. With an injury like this there is always uncertainty and we want to make sure we are doing everything possible for the player. We should have a better understanding of the situation after reviewing his next scan in four weeks.”
Cian Bohane (knee), Alan Cotter (bicep), Johnny Holland (hamstring), Barry O’Mahony (ankle), Donnacha Ryan (toe), Mike Sherry (shoulder), Gerhard van den Heever (knee) and Damien Varley (foot) are all continuing with their rehabilitation programmes.
