With Carl out, Munster can make hay

THE stars could well be aligning for another great Munster away day in France.

The return of Paul O'Connell to, and disappearance of Carl Hayman from, the team declarations made yesterday certainly lend credence to the theory.

There will be much debate over Munster’s selections decisions, which also include starts for Peter Stringer over Tomás O'Leary at scrum-half and John Hayes at tighthead prop rather than Tony Buckley yet O'Connell's inclusion and Hayman's omission carry great psychological importance, certainly as far as Munster are concerned.