Munster and Ospreys all out for victory

MUNSTER are serious about taming the Ospreys in the Celtic League at Musgrave Park tomorrow night even though they meet them again in the Heineken Cup in January.

In naming a 26 strong squad for tomorrow's top of the table clash with the Neath/Swansea combination (8.05pm), Munster coach Alan Gaffney includes 19 of the 22 players involved last weekend in the Heineken Cup win over Castres.

Jerry Flannery comes back into contention following injury, while Mike Prendergast and Mossy Lawlor make way for Eoin Reddan and Paul Devlin. David Wallace (neck) and John Kelly (ankle) were unavailable due to injury.

Ospreys, three points ahead of Munster at the top of the table, are equally determined to make their visit to Cork pay, even if it does mean they have to show their cards in advance of that January meeting.

Club media director Jonathon Harvey yesterday reported that captain Barry Williams has a rib injury and is a doubtful while out half Matthew Jones (ankle) is most probably ruled out as well.

But, he said, “We will be travelling with the strongest squad possible. We're on top of the Celtic League and we want to stay there. The Heineken Cup is for another day.”

Leinster go into their match with Cardiff in equally serious mood, despite resting Brian O'Driscoll and Denis Hickie. They give injured prop Emmett Byrne the chance to sit on the bench, but Peter Coyle and John Lyne stand by.

There are changes in the back division with Felipe Contepomi moving from centre to out half, and David Holwell acting as replacement. Coach Declan Kidney is obviously in experimental mood but he has major players to call upon in an emergency, not least Victor Costello, Holwell and particularly Gordon D'Arcy, who could make his first appearance in several weeks.

Connacht have made two changes to the starting side for this evening's clash with Glasgow at Hughenden, two sides locked together in fifth and sixth places, respectively, but with only a points difference between them.

Justin Meagher comes in on the wing in place of Ted Robinson while Christian Short comes in for Pieter Myburgh. Adrian Clarke replaces the injured Dan McFarland on the bench, while Niall O’Brien and Tom Tierney also come into the squad, the latter in place of the injured Conor O’Loughlin.

Sean Lamont, Glasgow’s Scotland wing, and his younger brother, Rory, will play together in a Celtic League match for the first time. The pair have been named on the wings.

Rory returns to the team after more than a month’s injury absence. He damaged a hamstring in the league match against Cardiff at The Arms Park on 13 November. He also played in the previous Glasgow match, the 36-22 win against The Borders at Hughenden, but Sean was on Scotland duty those weekends.

Yesterday, after the final training run before today's match, Rory recalled the last time he played alongside his brother. “I was probably 17, he was 18 or 19,” Rory explained. “It was for Melton Mowbray Colts. He was at scrum half, I was fly half.” They are now 23 and 22.

Glasgow have made three changes from the team that started in the 22-38 defeat by Llanelli Scarlets in the Heineken Cup match at Stradey Park on Sunday. Two of the changes are in the back division. Rory Lamont replaces Gareth Maclure, and Glasgow Hawks’ Colin Shaw returns at full back for Kenny Logan, the Scotland cap who had to have hospital treatment after a head-on collision with David Hodges in the Stradey Park cup match.

It will be Shaw’s third start for Glasgow. The former Scotland U-21 cap played in the league matches against Llanelli and Leinster last month, scoring a try in the latter game. In the only change in the pack Scott Lawson starts in place of Gordon Bulloch, Scotland’s captain in last month’s Tests.

Dan Parks, Scotland’s stand-off in the autumn Tests, returns to the Glasgow squad. After his November duties with Scotland he flew to Australia for his brother’s wedding last weekend.

Glasgow have won their past three home league matches, successively against Ulster, The Borders, and Llanelli. Glasgow are fifth, heading the western Irish province on points difference.

“It’s a crunch game,” Hugh Campbell, Glasgow’s head coach, remarked today. “We’re level on points. If we win, we would go up - if they win, they’ll move up.”