Ospreys v Munster, Liberty Stadium
7.35, live on TG4, Premier Sports, URC.tv
Come tomorrow night, Mikey Haley will have started every one of his 100 appearances for Munster, a remarkable statistic but one that illustrates his standing as a player within the province. The 29-year-old has missed most of the season to date through injury and it possibly cost him a chance to add to his one Ireland cap from 2019.
He is a natural fullback, excellent on counterattack, a good defender, his aerial work is tidy and he invariably stood out as a valuable contributor on Munster’s best days. Had he been fit and firing, Haley should have been in the discussion when injury befell Ireland’s first-choice fullback, Hugo Keenan.
Any Test player whose last cap dates back three or more years ago can switch to another country for which he is eligible. The Preston-born player has admirers across the Irish Sea, a fact that would only be unsettling to a player who wanted to move, and there is no indication that is the case.
Munster are probably fed up with their players being coveted after Fabien Galthié called up Antoine Frisch to the French squad for training in advance of their final Six Nations match before releasing him to return to the Irish province. Haley and Frisch add huge value to Munster, a statement that will hopefully be borne out once again in Swansea on Friday night.
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Graham Rowntree has made three changes to the team that beat Zebre last time out as John Hodnett returns to the backrow in the slightly unfamiliar role of blindside flanker – he may mix and match with captain Alex Kendellen in those primary duties, while Joey Carbery and Rory Scannell are recalled at outhalf and inside centre.
Craig Casey is back from Ireland camp and starts at scrumhalf. Jack O’Donoghue returns from injury while there are four Academy players Ruadhán Quinn, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler and Shay McCarthy named among the replacements.
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth has named just one player from Wales’ final Six Nations match, a defeat to Italy, Owen Watkin, named among the replacements. George North’s Achilles tendon tear in that game, means that he has played his final game for the region in advance of a move to French club, Provence next season. There is no place for Dublin-born flanker Will Hickey in the Ospreys’ 23.
They are playing a good brand of rugby, and they are just tough, tough to play against
— Graham Rowntree
Munster head coach Rowntree said of the challenge that his side faces: “Ospreys are a sticky outfit. I have been impressed by their coach Toby Booth, I have known him for a long time, and he has brought that squad together.
“They have not had an easy year. I remember a year ago with all the contract negotiations, there was a near strike, around the (time of) the England (versus) Wales game. They are playing a good brand of rugby, and they are just tough, tough to play against. They have got a good set piece, a good maul so discipline and penalty access will be top of the list. I am a big fan of them.
“They have a good breakdown threat, kick the ball a bit and apply pressure through their kicking game. We are going to have to be good, I have been building this game up for a long time. In this block we are without certain players. It’s a huge game for us.”
The Ospreys are four points and four places behind Munster in 10th spot in the standings so they know the value of a win this evening. For the Irish province, it will be a case of eyes forward. Level on points with Edinburgh (fourth) and Ulster (fifth), they won’t want to lose any ground on three-placed Glasgow who are six clear.
No one undervalues the work of Gavin Coombes who leads his team and beyond across a number of categories, not least in the metric of getting them across the gain-line but that load will need to be shared by others. Munster play with more nuance behind the scrum, not all of which involves the backs as Tom Ahern has demonstrated so capably when roaming the outer ranges of the pitch.
Alex Nankevill has been outstanding for Munster this season in every facet of the game and the team have to show that they can function productively in his absence. Some of that creativity will fall on the shoulders of Carbery, but he’ll need a decent platform from his pack and for Casey to give him a little space on the back of good decisions.
The Ospreys have power and pace in the form of Alex Cuthbert and Keelan Giles on the wings, and in centre Keiran Williams and number eight Morgan Morris, two players who take a great deal of stopping. If both teams play to their best, Munster will win. That’s the challenge.
Ospreys: I Hopkins; A Cuthbert, E Boshoff, K Williams, K Giles; O Williams, R Morgan-Williams; N Smith, S Parry, T Botha; J Ratti, R Davies; J Rudolph, J Tipuric (capt), M Morris. Replacements: L Lloyd, G Phillips, R Henry, H Sutton, H Deaves, C Jones, J Walsh, O Watkin.
Munster: M Haley; S O’Brien, A Frisch, R Scannell, S Daly; J Carbery, C Casey; J Wycherley, N Scannell, J Ryan; T Ahern, RG Snyman; J Hodnett, A Kendellen (capt), G Coombes. Replacements: E Clarke, J Loughman, S Archer, J O’Donoghue, R Quinn, E Coughlan, T Butler, S McCarthy.
Referee: H Davidson (Scotland)
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