Craig Casey starts as Munster welcome internationals back for Connacht clash
Craig Casey during a Munster Rugby squad training session. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
The big guns are back for both Connacht and Munster as the derby rivals prepare for Saturday’s URC clash in front of more than 26,000 supporters at Castlebar’s McHale Park.
With Ireland’s internationals back on duty following their post-Six Nations break, Connacht have called on Mack Hansen, Bundee Aki, Finlay Bealham and captain Cian Prendergast for their historic first fixture on Mayo GAA turf.
Likewise for Munster, who have selected Calvin Nash, Jack Crowley, captain Tadhg Beirne and replacement scrum-half Conor Murray, set for his 200th appearance for his province. Only Peter O’Mahony of their Ireland regulars is absent having sustained a knock in training, which prevented the veteran flanker from training fully this week.
There is further good news for the visitors, who sit in fifth place, six points off the top four following back-to-back losses to Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, with the returns from injury of starting scrum-half Craig Casey, tighthead prop Oli Jager, and South Africa lock Jean Kleyn, who is named on the bench.
Munster interim head coach Ian Costello has made five changes in total to the side that started the 28-25 defeat in Glasgow last Friday.
Out-half Crowley is reunited in the half-backs with a fit-again Casey as the number nine makes his comeback from a meniscus injury in his knee sustained in Castres three months ago while Nash returns on the right wing in a back three with full-back Ben O’Connor and left wing Sean O’Brien.
There is a third straight outing in midfield for centres Alex Nankivell and Tom Farrell, like O’Brien, a former Connacht man, who has started all 18 games this season since his summer move.
There is an unchanged back row of Tom Ahern, John Hodnett and No.8 Gavin Coombes, while Beirne will skipper the side from the second row alongside Fineen Wycherley.
Jager joins front-row partners Diarmuid Barron, at hooker, and loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman.
Murray’s return from Ireland duty for his 200th Munster appearance makes the scrum-half the 15th player to reach the milestone for the province and comes a fortnight after he earned his 125th and final Ireland cap off the bench against Italy.
Set to leave Munster at the end of the season, the 35-year-old is one of two backline replacements with Rory Scannell also providing cover, while World Cup winner Kleyn is on standby for his first appearance since October as one of six forwards on the away bench.
Announcing their matchday squad on Friday, Munster said back-three star Thaakir Abrahams and back-rower Jack O’Donoghue were continuing to work their way back to full fitness, having returned to training this week while fly-half Billy Burns was unavailable due to a shoulder injury.
Connacht, under the temporary charge of Collie Tucker in the absence of head coach Pete Wilkins on sick leave, have named Hansen at full-back, while Aki returns at inside centre in partnership with Hugh Gavin and Bealham starts at tighthead prop in a front row with Dave Heffernan at hooker and Jordan Duggan at loosehead.
The home bench of five forwards and three backline replacements sees fly-half JJ Hanrahan named to potentially face his home province ahead of summer move back to Munster.
Mack Hansen; C Mullins, H Gavin, B Aki, F Treacy, J Ioane, C Blade; J Duggan, D Heffernan, F Bealham; J Joyce, D Murray, C Prendergast (C), S Hurley-Langton, S Jansen.
D Tierney-Martin, D Buckley, J Aungier, J Murphy, P Boyle, M Devine, JJ Hanrahan, S Cordero.
B O’Connor; C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, S O’Brien; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, D Barron, O Jager; F Wycherley, T Beirne (C); T Ahern, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
N Scannell, J Wycherley, S Archer, J Kleyn, R Quinn, C Murray, R Scannell, A Kendellen.
J O’Brien; T O’Brien, L Turner, C Tector, A Osborne; C Frawley, F Gunne; C Healy, J McKee, T Clarkson; D Mangan, B Deeny; A Soroka, W Connors, M Deegan (C).
L Barron, M Milne, R McGuire, A Spicer, S Penny, O Coffey, R Byrne, H McErlean.
