Williams primed for Munster action

ON the day Nick Williams is set to be introduced from the bench for his first representative fixture with Munster, Stephen Keogh has been chosen to lead Leinster against his former side in today’s A clash at Donnybrook (2.30pm).

Kiwi Williams has recovered from a shoulder surgery he underwent several months ago and has been training with the province for the last number of weeks without any ill effects.

The former North Harbour captain is one of eight reserves named for a game that gives out-of-favour full back Denis Hurley, who played in last year’s Heineken Cup final, the rare opportunity of a representative outing, with Anthony Horgan and Brian Carney, neither of whom have featured much this season, named on the wings.

Paul Warwick and James Coughlan, both of whom came on as replacements in Saturday’s Heineken Cup victory over Clermont Auvergne, are named in a strong Munster team. It will be the culmination of a busy week for Coughlan, who helped Dolphin shock AIB League leaders Clontarf with a 16-10 win at Musgrave Park on Sunday.

The extended squad includes Jeremy Manning and Duncan Williams. These two half backs are also likely to be given a run at some stage and coach Tony McGahan will be particularly anxious to see Williams in action following his dreadful run of injuries.

An interesting aside will be the duel between rival hookers, Fogarty brothers John (Leinster) and Denis (Munster), but on a grander scale it’s clear that coaches Michael Cheika and Tony McGahan mean business and wish to glean further knowledge on the current capabilities of fringe players from the exercise.

Leinster will field a similarly strong team and the pack includes regular Leinster first choice players Cameron Jowitt, Trevor Hogan and Sean O’Brien alongside the teak-tough Keogh in the pack.

Cheika will be paying particular attention to the young midfield partnership of Eoin O’Malley and Fergus McFadden while looking to Isa Nacewa to provide him with another option at fly half, a position that nobody seems to have filled quite to the coach’s satisfaction so far this season.

LEINSTER ‘A’: F Jones; G Brown, E O’Malley, F McFadden, S Keogh; I Nacewa, C Keane; R McCormack, J Fogarty, J Hagan; C Jowitt, T Hogan; K McLoughlin, S Keogh (capt), S O’Brien.

Replacements: R Burke-Flynn/R Murphy; B Blaney; E Sheriff; J Harris-Wright; D Moore; P O’Donoghue; K Tonetti; N Morris.

MUNSTER: D Hurley; A Horgan, K Lewis, E Ryan, B Carney; P Warwick, M Prendergast; D Ryan, D Fogarty, T Ryan; M Melbourne, D Foley; B Holland, J Coughlan (capt), J O’Sullivan.

Replacements: M Essex; S Archer; I Nagle; T O’Donnell; N Williams; D Williams; J Manning; C O’Boyle.