MUNSTER HEAD COACH Johann van Graan said it is great to have Conor Murray available to start his first game of the season against Edinburgh in Cork this evening [KO 7.35pm, eir Sport/Premier Sport].
The 29-year-old hasn’t worn the Munster number nine jersey since the Pro14 semi-final defeat to Leinster at the RDS in May.
Murray returns following the neck injury he picked up on Ireland’s summer tour to Australia, and is one of 11 changes made by van Graan after Munster’s bonus point win in Parma.
“He has worked really hard to get back and it is a great lift for the team,” the South African said.
“He did well when he came on last weekend and it’s all about building confidence.
Captain Peter O’Mahony returns from international duty and starts alongside five of Munster’s Ireland contingent against an Edinburgh team who were shocked 18-12 at Dragons last Sunday.
“I won’t read too much into their defeat, they could have won it in the last few minutes,” added van Graan.
“Richard Cockerill is a quality coach and you know they play a pretty pressurised style of footy. This is a pretty big game for them and they are a tough team to beat and so we expect a tough game.
“Just to put it into perspective, nobody just beats Toulon and they should possibly have beaten Montpellier as well. In Europe, that’s two big French teams so, yes, we have a lot of respect for Edinburgh.
“If you look at the run they had in the Pro14 last year, they did really well and got into the playoffs. We beat them in the quarter-finals but they have grown, have a lot of belief and are a pretty tight team, and have beaten Glasgow.”
Fineen Wycherley, Kevin O’Byrne, Ronan O’Mahony and Rory Scannell scored tries in Munster’s 32-7 win at Zebre, but only Scannell is retained.
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Munster head coach Johann van Graan. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
There are five changes in the backline where Andrew Conway and Keith Earls are back on the wings after their exploits with Ireland.
Centre Chris Farrell returns from injury and starts his first game since 21 January, after coming off the bench last weekend.
JJ Hanrahan starts at Musgrave Park after he fell ill and was replaced shortly before kick-off in Italy.
Up front, there is a new front row with Dave Kilcoyne and John Ryan back from Ireland duty, and they pack down either side of hooker Niall Scannell.
Tadhg Beirne adds his international experience in the second row with Billy Holland joining him. Blindside flanker O’Mahony and openside Chris Cloete are added to Arno Botha in the back row.
“Everybody is in good spirits and knows exactly where we are going,” van Graan said.
“We have got Edinburgh, two games in Europe, the three inter-provincial derbies, two more in Europe and then the Dragons.
“Everybody knows where they fit in over the next nine weeks. You can only plan for so much and then reality happens. You might pick up a few injuries in one position and then you have got to adapt.
“We are pretty well set and very happy with where we are at in both competitions, glad about the ten points over the last few weeks.
“The most important thing for me is that I have got depth available and the academy guys that came through was really important.”
Munster:
15. Mike Haley
14. Andrew Conway
13. Chris Farrell
12. Rory Scannell
11. Keith Earls
10. JJ Hanrahan
9. Conor Murray
1. Dave Kilcoyne
2. Niall Scannell
3. John Ryan
4. Tadhg Beirne
5. Billy Holland
6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
7. Chris Cloete
8. Arno Botha
Replacements:
16.Kevin O’Byrne
17. Jeremy Loughman
18. Ciaran Parker
19. Fineen Wycherly
20. Gavin Coombes
21. Duncan Wiliams
22. Tyler Bleyendaal
23. Sam Arnold
Edinburgh:
15. Dougie Fife
14. Tom Brown
13. George Taylor
12. Juan Pablo Socino
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Jaco van der Walt
9. Nathan Fowles
1. Rory Sutherland
2. David Cherry
3. Murray McCallum
4. James Hodgson
5. Callum Hunter-Hill
6. Ally Miller
7. Lewis Wynne
8. Luke Hamilton (captain)
Replacements:
16. Ross Ford
17. Darryl Marfo
18. Pietro Ceccarelli
19. Callum Atkinson
20. Senitiki Nayalo
21. Sean Kennedy
22. Jason Baggott
23. Chris Dean.
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Munster locked and loaded as they bid to extend winning run in Cork
MUNSTER HEAD COACH Johann van Graan said it is great to have Conor Murray available to start his first game of the season against Edinburgh in Cork this evening [KO 7.35pm, eir Sport/Premier Sport].
The 29-year-old hasn’t worn the Munster number nine jersey since the Pro14 semi-final defeat to Leinster at the RDS in May.
Murray returns following the neck injury he picked up on Ireland’s summer tour to Australia, and is one of 11 changes made by van Graan after Munster’s bonus point win in Parma.
“He has worked really hard to get back and it is a great lift for the team,” the South African said.
“He did well when he came on last weekend and it’s all about building confidence.
Captain Peter O’Mahony returns from international duty and starts alongside five of Munster’s Ireland contingent against an Edinburgh team who were shocked 18-12 at Dragons last Sunday.
“I won’t read too much into their defeat, they could have won it in the last few minutes,” added van Graan.
“Richard Cockerill is a quality coach and you know they play a pretty pressurised style of footy. This is a pretty big game for them and they are a tough team to beat and so we expect a tough game.
“Just to put it into perspective, nobody just beats Toulon and they should possibly have beaten Montpellier as well. In Europe, that’s two big French teams so, yes, we have a lot of respect for Edinburgh.
“If you look at the run they had in the Pro14 last year, they did really well and got into the playoffs. We beat them in the quarter-finals but they have grown, have a lot of belief and are a pretty tight team, and have beaten Glasgow.”
Fineen Wycherley, Kevin O’Byrne, Ronan O’Mahony and Rory Scannell scored tries in Munster’s 32-7 win at Zebre, but only Scannell is retained.
There are five changes in the backline where Andrew Conway and Keith Earls are back on the wings after their exploits with Ireland.
Centre Chris Farrell returns from injury and starts his first game since 21 January, after coming off the bench last weekend.
JJ Hanrahan starts at Musgrave Park after he fell ill and was replaced shortly before kick-off in Italy.
Up front, there is a new front row with Dave Kilcoyne and John Ryan back from Ireland duty, and they pack down either side of hooker Niall Scannell.
Tadhg Beirne adds his international experience in the second row with Billy Holland joining him. Blindside flanker O’Mahony and openside Chris Cloete are added to Arno Botha in the back row.
“Everybody is in good spirits and knows exactly where we are going,” van Graan said.
“We have got Edinburgh, two games in Europe, the three inter-provincial derbies, two more in Europe and then the Dragons.
“Everybody knows where they fit in over the next nine weeks. You can only plan for so much and then reality happens. You might pick up a few injuries in one position and then you have got to adapt.
“We are pretty well set and very happy with where we are at in both competitions, glad about the ten points over the last few weeks.
“The most important thing for me is that I have got depth available and the academy guys that came through was really important.”
Munster:
15. Mike Haley
14. Andrew Conway
13. Chris Farrell
12. Rory Scannell
11. Keith Earls
10. JJ Hanrahan
9. Conor Murray
1. Dave Kilcoyne
2. Niall Scannell
3. John Ryan
4. Tadhg Beirne
5. Billy Holland
6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
7. Chris Cloete
8. Arno Botha
Replacements:
16.Kevin O’Byrne
17. Jeremy Loughman
18. Ciaran Parker
19. Fineen Wycherly
20. Gavin Coombes
21. Duncan Wiliams
22. Tyler Bleyendaal
23. Sam Arnold
Edinburgh:
15. Dougie Fife
14. Tom Brown
13. George Taylor
12. Juan Pablo Socino
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Jaco van der Walt
9. Nathan Fowles
1. Rory Sutherland
2. David Cherry
3. Murray McCallum
4. James Hodgson
5. Callum Hunter-Hill
6. Ally Miller
7. Lewis Wynne
8. Luke Hamilton (captain)
Replacements:
16. Ross Ford
17. Darryl Marfo
18. Pietro Ceccarelli
19. Callum Atkinson
20. Senitiki Nayalo
21. Sean Kennedy
22. Jason Baggott
23. Chris Dean.
Referee: Nigel Owens.
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Guinness Pro14 Munster pro14 Edinburgh