United Rugby Championship: Munster v Lions, Musgrave Park (7.35, live on TG4, Premier Sports, URC TV)
Ben Healy will be grateful to switch focus from his impending move to Edinburgh this summer to the game in hand, albeit the news that Gloucester’s Adam Hastings will miss the Six Nations through injury (shoulder) means that the 23-year-old Tipperary native may be edging towards a first Scotland cap - he qualifies through his Glasgow-born mother – quicker than anticipated.
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend still has Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn at his disposal but Healy, who is eligible for Scotland straight away, may now get a call-up. For the time being his priority is on helping Munster to continue their winning ways as he did last weekend in scoring the outcome-defining try and converting it, in a 15-14 win over Ulster in Belfast.
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Munster coach Graham Rowntree has made six personnel changes and three positional switches from the Belfast game. Healy, Rory Scannell, Liam Coombes, Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron and John Hodnett are all drafted into the starting XV.
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The imperious Jack O’Donoghue captains the side and will make his 15th appearance of the campaign having featured in every game so far this season. Gavin Coombes switches to the secondrow alongside the in-form Jean Kleyn, while Alex Kendellen shifts to number eight. Rory Scannell’s promotion means that Malakai Fekitoa moves to outside centre.
Left wing Liam Coombes and centre Dan Goggin, who is named among the replacements, haven’t played since September. Paddy Patterson and Healy resume their halfback partnership having last started together against South Africa A at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The Lions have lost their last two matches in the tournament, the most recent a 37-10 defeat against the Sharks in Durban. Head coach Ivan van Rooyen has made a handful of changes and several positional switches for the trip to Cork.
Quan Horn moves from wing to fullback, wing, Edwill van der Merwe switches flanks, Stean Pienaar comes in on the right wing, Henco van Wyk returns to the centre while Morne van den Berg is named at scrumhalf.
Up front Darrien Landsberg and Ruan Venter moves from the backrow to the secondrow, Emmanuel Tshituka shifts from flanker to number eight while Jarod Cains and Emile van Heerden are promoted to the starting pack.
Lions’ scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys said: “[It] will be a good test. The Munster pack has been in good form recently, so [it] will be an exciting challenge for this team especially the guys who’ll be getting an opportunity to feature. We all know you don’t grow when it’s easy, you grow when it’s tough and Friday will be tough especially in these conditions away from home.
“Playing at Musgrave Park will be new for us as none of our current squad members have played there. In saying that, we tend to strive under the new and unknown so this will certainly be one of those,” the latter a reference to the fact that they have enjoyed better fortune on the road this season to date than at home.
A key for Munster is to ensure that they produce an integrity of attitude and application to the team performance and take nothing for granted. It’s unlikely that they will for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the fact that they lost to the Lions in South Africa.
The bookmakers make the home side 16-point favourites but to justify that billing there are several areas in the performance, not least the set-piece of scrum and lineout and the breakdown, where they can expect a fierce tussle.
In that respect Rowntree is likely to find out a bit more about Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron and Roman Salanoa, who will have to be picture perfect for the referee, Scotland’s Hollie Davidson. Anything other than a home win would be a huge surprise.
Munster: M Haley; S Daly, M Fekitoa, R Scannell, L Coombes; B Healy, P Patterson; J Wycherley, D Barron, R Salanoa; J Kleyn, G Coombes; J O’Donoghue (capt), J Hodnett, A Kendellen.
Replacements: S Buckley, D Kilcoyne, S Archer, C Hurley, J O’Sullivan, C Murray, D Goggin, P Campbell.
Emirates Lions: Q Horn; S Pienaar, H van Wyk, M Louw (capt), E van der Merwe; J Hendrikse, M van den Berg; JP Smith, PJ Botha, A Ntlabakanye; R Venter, D Landsberg; J Cairns, E van Heerden, E Tshituka.
Replacements: M van Vuuren, M Naude, R Smith, W Alberts, S Sangweni, A Warner, G Lombard, M Rass.
Referee: H Davidson (Scotland)
