SUNDAY
Dragons v Munster, Rodney Parade (3.0, live on RTÉ, Premier Sports, Discovery +, URC TV)
Dragons’ director of rugby Dean Ryan did not mince his words in expressing displeasure at his players in the wake of a 44-6 thumping by Edinburgh, so it’ll be instructive to note what response it engenders.
Munster had their own performance glitches in defeat to Cardiff, notably at the breakdown, and one presumes that it will have been addressed in training this week. Mike Haley, Keith Earls, Dan Goggin, Simon Zebo and Craig Casey come into the backline with just Malakai Fekitoa and Ben Healy retaining their places in the run-on team.
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There are two new starting props in Dave Kilcoyne and a fit-again Stephen Archer while the only change in the back five of the pack is the return of captain, Peter O’Mahony, in place of the South Africa-bound Alex Kendellen.
It makes for eight changes to last week’s team in total but, like his provincial counterparts, Munster head coach Graham Rowntree has forfeited a chunk of players, in his case 10, to the Emerging Ireland squad.
Tadhg Beirne and Joey Carbery are named on the bench as is promising young teenage secondrow Edwin Edogbo. The Engineering student at UCC, who became the first player from the Cobh Pirates club to be called into the Munster academy, impressed in preseason and looks an excellent prospect.
There is a familiar face to Munster players and supporters in the Dragons line-up with Currow native JJ Hanrahan in the number 10 jersey. He chipped in with his side’s six points last weekend. Despite last week’s abject performance, the Welsh side shows just three changes with former London Irish player George Nott coming into the second row.
Welsh international flanker Taine Basham is recalled to the back row while flying wing Ashton Hewitt is the only change to the backline. Both teams will be smarting after last week but Munster look much better qualified to be able to respond positively.
Dragons: A O’Brien: R Dyer, S Tomkinson, J Dixon, A Hewitt; JJ Hanrahan, R Williams; A Seiuli, B Roberts, L Fairbrother; G Nott, W Rowlands (capt); S Lonsdale, T Basham, R Moriarty. Replacements: E Dee, R Evans, C Coleman, B Carter, A Wainwright, L Jones, M Clark, J Williams.
Munster: M Haley: K Earls, M Fekitoa, D Goggin, S Zebo; B Healy, C Casey; D Kilcoyne, N Scannell, S Archer; J Kleyn, F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue, P O’Mahony (capt), J O’Sullivan. Replacements: S Buckley, L O’Connor, K Knox, E Edogbo, T Beirne, P Patterson, J Carbery, L Coombes.
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
