Kidney fails to spare wounded warriors

IT was wet, windy and miserable in Cork yesterday but the Munster squad, preparing for Saturday’s win or bust Heineken Cup clash with Llanelli Scarlets at Stradey Park, weren’t spared by coach Declan Kidney.

It was their first all-out session since Friday night’s Magners League defeat to Leinster and Kidney and his players worked on what went wrong in that game. Losing in the conditions prevailing at Musgrave Park on that occasion hasn’t upset the Munster camp unduly, rather it comes as a wake up call for the visit to a ground which has not been a very happy one for them over the past few years.

Brian Carney, who missed the Leinster game because of a knee injury, trained fully yesterday and will be available when Kidney announces the side on Friday. Kieran Lewis, his replacement against Leinster, would be likely to fill that role again if required while John Kelly and Anthony Horgan have also been called up along with James Coughlan.