Michael Bradley ready to ruin ‘fantastic’ Conor Murray’s return
Michael Bradley may have been one of the greatest of all Munster rugby players but the now Zebre coach would enjoy nothing more than to put one over on his old team when the sides meet tomorrow (3.30pm Irish time) at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma.
Both sides will be understrength, due to international commitments and other reasons, so the overall squad depths will be severely tested.
However, the two coaches, Bradley and Munster’s Johann van Graan, are at pains to point out that these games afford fringe players the chance to put their hands up and stake a claim for consideration on the biggest days of all.
Most significant team news surrounds Conor Murray and Chris Farrell, both of whom are included among the Munster replacements having recovered from injuries that have sidelined them for six and eight months respectively. They are likely to enter the action at some stage with a view to providing the pair with game-time before the European Cup meetings against Castres next month.
Knowing more about scrum-half play than most, Bradley admits he is looking forward to seeing Murray back in action.
“I’d like to have had a crack at Conor because he is very strong physically, he’s like an extra back-row and tactically he’s fantastic. He marches teams around and twice now he’s been a Lions scrum-half. He’s been top of the game for eight to 10 years. Fantastic player.”
Ronan O’Mahony has shaken off a serious leg injury and begins his first game of the season on the Munster wing. There’s also an initial start in the back row for Gavin Coombes with Fineen Wycherley and Darren O’Shea forming a youthful second-row combination.
Munster stand second in Conference A of the PRO14 with 24 points, nine more than the Italians. The visitors have won all 12 games between the sides since they first met in 2012/13, scoring 57 tries to 14 in the process. So van Graan’s men are strong favourites to leave Parma once again with at least four points.
However, Zebre’s three wins this season include a 34-16 hammering of Edinburgh, so this patchwork Munster side would be well advised to heed the warning issued by defence coach JP Ferreira.
“Over there, it is difficult,” he insisted. “They are a tough side. They beat Cardiff, they beat Bristol Bears a while back. They are the second highest team at keeping the ball in the league, they don’t kick it that often, so I am expecting a high-paced, fast game, an offload game and the physicality will be up there. They have big ball carriers. Some of their internationals might be out but their coach will be driving them to keep the ball in play and keep it as long as they can, especially in Zebre where the crowd will be behind them.”
G Di Giulio; P Balekana, G Bisegni, T Boni, J Elliott; F Brummer, R Raffaele; C Ah-Nau, M Ceciliani, D Chistolini, L Krumov, D Sisi capt, J Tuivai, M Mbandia, G Licata.
O Fabiani, D Rimpelli, E Bello, G Biagi, R Giammarioli, J Renton, C Canna, G Venditti.
M Hailey; R O’Mahony, R Scannell, T Bleyendaal, A Wootton; JJ Hanrahan, N Cronin; J Loughman, K O’Byrne, S Archer, F Wycherley, D O’Shea, G Coombes, C Cloete, A Botha.
M Sherry, B Scott, C Parker, S O’Connor, C Oliver, C Murray, B Johnston, C Farrell.
S Grove-White (Scotland).
