Munster have retained all but two of the starting line-up from last week’s victory away to Northampton for their marquee St Stephen’s Day fixture against Leinster at Thomond Park on Monday (kick-off 7.35pm, live on TG4 and Premier Sports).
By contrast, and as has been custom for this traditional festive derby, Leo Cullen has made 10 changes to the starting XV from last week’s 57-0 thrashing of Gloucester. While the unbeaten URC leaders still field a strong side, Johnny Sexton does not feature, meaning he has probably played his last match at Thomond Park.
Shane Daly and Dave Kilcoyne are promoted from the Munster bench, with the latter set to make his first start since October, as Mike Haley and Jeremy Loughman have been ruled out, as well as John Hodnett.
Loughman picked up an unspecified knock in training while Haley and Hodnett didn’t come through training fully after last Sunday’s bruising encounter in Franklin’s Gardens.
Such have been Munster’s need for wins since Ireland’s November series and the demands of this fixture that the vast bulk are playing their fifth game in a row. Indeed, for Tadhg Beirne, one of five ever-present starters in Ireland’s November series, this will be an eighth start in eight weeks.
Josh Wycherley, Kiran McDonald and Academy back three player Patrick Campbell join the replacements. The 28-year-old, Glasgow-born McDonald, who was signed on a three-month deal after Wasps went out of business, is set to make his URC debut and his first appearance since Munster’s win over South Africa A at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Leinster’s 10 changes do feature five players promoted from last week’s replacements, namely Jordan Larmour, who makes his first start since early October, Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Joe McCarthy and Max Deegan.
The other five changes see Nick McCarthy return to his former ground after playing 23 times in a two-year stint with Munster for what will be his first appearance of the season, with Jamie Osborne, Ryan Baird, Rhys Ruddock and Scott Penny also restored. John McKee, Michael Milne, Vakh Abdaladze, Harry Byrne and Liam Turner all come into the match day 23 on the bench.
The game will mark Andrew Porter’s 100th appearance for Leinster and the side will again be led by the tireless (or overplayed?) Garry Ringrose. Another of the five ever-present starters in Ireland’s November series, this will be Ringrose’s 12th game in 14 weeks. Of those, Ringrose has played 80 minutes in nine of them, and even in his one stint off the bench he played an hour.
Allowing for Robbie Henshaw and Ciaran Frawley being sidelined, it’s not as if Leinster lack options at outside centre among their versatile crop of young backs, be it Osborne, Turner or Jimmy O’Brien, who made his Test debut there.
Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Jack Crowley, Keith Earls; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Jack O’Donoghue, Peter O’Mahony (C), Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, Kiran McDonald, Alex Kendellen, Craig Casey, Rory Scannell, Patrick Campbell.
Leinster: Hugo Keenan, Jordan Larmour, Garry Ringrose (capt), Jamie Osborne, James Lowe, Ross Byrne, Nick McCarthy, Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Ryan Baird, Joe McCarthy, Rhys Ruddock, Scott Penny, Max Deegan
Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne, Vakhtang Abdaladze, Ross Molony, Jack Conan, Luke McGrath, Harry Byrne, Liam Turner
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU, 27th league game)
AR 1: Joy Neville (IRFU) AR 2: Peter Martin (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
