Munster's front-row resources have been left looking a little threadbare in advance of Saturday's Heineken European Cup return fixture against Colomiers. The Irish provincial champions and Pool Three pacesetters have left vacancies for both prop positions after Peter Clohessy was again ruled out yesterday while John Hayes remains very doubtful.
A scan on Clohessy's neck injury has not revealed a serious problem, but bruising and soreness have obliged him to sit out the next week or two. Munster are still holding out hope that Hayes - who has started in all of Munster's 10 wins this season - might yet recover from the lower back injury he sustained in the first-half last Saturday against Colomiers, but he still looks unlikely to make it.
Were Hayes to be ruled out, Munster will choose two from a shortlist of four: Marcus Horan, Ian Murray, Des Clohessy and Peter Bracken. Horan would seem a certain starter, after his starring, try-scoring role in Saturday's 31-15 win, but the problem with the aforementioned shortlist is that Bracken is the only recognised tight-head amongst them.
The Bohemians' tight-head has only appeared fleetingly for Munster this season, in injury-time against the Irish XV in the latter's World Cup warm-up match. Des Clohessy has played some of his rugby at tight-head, but he concentrated on business interests last season instead of taking up a provincial contract, and has had little or no rugby this season because of an Achilles tendon injury. It is of some consolation that Colomiers are also struggling in this department, as a result of a few niggling injuries as well as the hotly disputed two-year suspension which has been handed out to Richard Nones. They will also definitely be without their lynchpin and captain Fabien Galthie.
Behind the scrum Munster have lost Killian Keane because of a broken finger, but otherwise the Munster team is unchanged, with Jeremy Staunton, who came in for the injured Dominic Crotty, retaining the full-back slot for the third game running.
Such is the acute sense of buoyancy and anticipation within Munster rugby circles that Saturday's game has been made all-ticket and a capacity 10,000-plus crowd is expected.
Given the night in question, the 4-5,000 attendance for Ulster's game against Llanelli at Ravenhill last Friday night was pretty respectable too. But in light of the home team's defeat, Ulster have made five changes for the trek to Stradey Park for Saturday's return meeting.
James Topping (ankle) and Allen Clarke (shoulder) have been ruled out, to be replaced by Sheldon Coulter and Richie Weir. Stephen Bell, Gary Longwell and Dion O'Cuinneagain swap places with Mark Edwards, Mark Blair and Tony McWhirter, all of whom drop to the replacements, as Harry Williams rotates some of his squad. McWhirter is also troubled by a calf injury and a bout of flu.
Connacht, buoyed by their first win of the season last Saturday, make only one change for the return European Shield fixture with Toulon on Saturday night.
Martin Steffert returns for Junior Charlie in a reshuffled back row. Coach Glenn Ross explained that "we're only allowed to use three overseas players and both are good players and both are playing well, so we're trying to be fair to both of them".
Although bracing themselves for another abrasive challenge from Toulon, Ross maintains "our objective is to win all of our remaining three games and if we can do that we'll end the season with a modicum of respectability, and we'll have won more matches in Europe than we did last season".
However, even if Connacht were to achieve that target of eight points, Ross concedes that it probably won't be sufficient to overhaul unbeaten pool leaders Ebbw Vale. "In my honest opinion, Ebbw Vale are probably the best team in the group and they've stolen a march on everybody else."
Munster (v Colomiers, Musgrave Park, Saturday 2.30): J Staunton; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; AN Other, K Wood, AN Other, M Galwey (capt), J Langford, A Quinlan, A Foley, D Wallace. Frontrow to be completed from: M Horan, I Murray, D Clohessy, P Bracken. Replacements - will be finalised when the front-row positions are resolved.
Ulster (v Llanelli, Stradey Park, Saturday 2.40): S Mason; S Coulter, J Cunningham, J Bell, S Bromley; D Humphreys (capt), S Bell; J Fitzpatrick, R Weir, J Veitayaki, P Johns, G Longwell, D O'Cuinneagain, E Miller, A Ward. Replacements - T Howe, N Malone, M Edwards, T McWhirter, M Blair, S Best, P Shields.
Connacht (v Toulon, Stade Mayol, Saturday, 8.00 local time): S Allnutt; M Mostyn, M Deane, M Murphy, P Duignan; E Elwood, S McIvor; J Screene, B Jackman, M Cahill, G Webster, M McConnell, U O'Callaghan, M Steffert, I Dillon. Replacements - J Ferris, C Kilroy, S McKenna, J McVeigh or S McDonald, J Maher, C Rigney, E Brennan.
