Returning stars aiming to slay Dragons

THERE will be no Paul O’Connell for Munster, but there should still be a big buzz on the terraces for tomorrow’s Magners League clash with the Gwent Dragons at Musgrave Park.

O’Connell was pencilled in to lead the side but withdrew yesterday due to a slight hamstring strain, and his place goes to Donncha O’Callaghan with Donnacha Ryan upgraded to the reserves.

But as Munster field stronger sides by the week, much of the spotlight will focus on Ronan O’Gara, Tomás O’Leary and Keith Earls, who make their first starts of the season.

The capacity attendance will also hope to get a glimpse of new South African signing Jean de Villiers. He has been named on the bench but coach Tony McGahan has promised he will see some action as Munster build up to a re-match with Heineken Cup champions Leinster at the RDS this day week.

Both Niall Ronan and Denis Leamy are rested, while David Wallace is still ruled out as McGahan gives Tommy O’Donnell an opportunity to impress.

Nick Williams has recovered from a leg injury and makes his first competitive start of the season.

The Munster management will be hoping for improvement in recent league form and particularly anxious to solve on-field disciplinary problems.

Munster’s record in the Magners League Fair Play side-show has been worrying. Last season, they finished bottom of the ten teams in the table with 16 yellow cards from 18 matches and so far they have picked up another five yellows from three games. That’s an average of one sin-binning per match over the last 21 Magners games.

Llanelli Scarlets won the £10,000 (€10,800) prize for having fewest penalty points (3) last season.

Munster lost the opener away to Glasgow Warriors and followed up with a solid victory over Cardiff Blues before sailing close to the wind against Llanelli last week.

The Dragons have a similar record, two wins from three games, but two of them were recorded at home against Ulster and Glasgow while they lost on the road to Leinster.

Form suggests a big improvement in fortunes is on the way for the Gwent outfit.

Apart from the two wins, they were fiercely competitive in defeat against the Heineken Cup champions and deserved, at least, a losing point bonus.

Centre Ashley Smith is to captain the Dragons for the second time this season just days after signing a three year extension to stay with the region until 2013.

Smith, who was a graduate of the Dragons Academy, has been with the region since 2005 since making his debut in a friendly against Worcester Warriors. At 22 he has played 58 matches for the club and has represented Wales at every age-grade level.

But Smith recognises he has a tough task on hands, admitting: “Munster are always going to be a massive challenge. They have a formidable side and with the return of their Irish internationals and of course the debut of Jean de Villiers, they have an impressive team sheet for the game.”