Boost as Leamy and Quinlan fit for Munster

DENIS LEAMY and Alan Quinlan have been declared fit to play for Munster against Northampton Saints in their first match of the new Heineken European Cup season at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday.

There were fears that Leamy had suffered a recurrence of the shoulder injury that bedevilled his campaign last year late on at the RDS on Saturday night but that proved not to be the case. Coach Tony McGahan confirmed last night that Leamy took a knock to the neck but it was not serious. Likewise, Quinlan, who missed that game because of another neck injury, has made a full recovery.

And with skipper Paul O’Connell, Jerry Flannery and David Wallace coming through their first game time of the season, it is certain that there will be quite a few changes in the starting line-up. However, the situation concerning John Hayes, who was red carded against Leinster and faces a disciplinary hearing in Belfast this afternoon, remains unclear. If, as seems likely, he is handed a suspension, his place will go to Tony Buckley.