Tricky opener for patched-up Munster

When Rob Penney was still coaching Canterbury to NPC success back in New Zealand, he received a delegation of coaches from Edinburgh, eager to pick the Kiwi’s brains and discover the secrets of his success.

Tonight those coaches, led by Michael Bradley, will be doing their utmost to ensure Penney gets his Munster career off to the worst possible start when Edinburgh host their opening-round encounter in the RaboDirect Pro12 league campaign.

As first-day fixtures go, the province’s new head coach could have been dealt a kinder hand but just as Penney is striving to get his new team to play what they see in front of them, he must get on with trying to eke out a winning start on the road against last season’s Heineken Cup semi-finalists.

Bradley will send out a team stuffed to the gills with Scottish internationals, still cock-a-hoop from their Test victory over Australia earlier this summer, while Penney must field a side missing all but two of his Irish stars and still trying to find its feet adjusting to the newcomer’s gameplan.

A thorough going over in last weekend’s finalpre-season friendly byLondon Irish does not bode well but Penney has been pleased with the way his players have fronted up on the training ground in the wake of that 34-10 defeat.

“They reacted really well. There’s going to be a period of growth and need and we’re all really working hard to try and fix the areas of weakness in our group,” Penney said. “They’re a really positive bunch to work with and they respond really well to anything that we throw at them,” he added

Edinburgh, too, have endured an indifferent pre-season, going down last weekend to a 54-3 hammering at home to Northampton Saints but the Munster coach is not reading too much into that result.

“It’s going to be a different kettle of fish once the whistle goes due to the fact that there’s points on the line.”

Welcoming back Scotland fly-half and club captain Greig Laidlaw, centre Nick De Luca and try machine Tim Visser will certainly makeEdinburgh a different prospect, while the Scots’ front-row will see Test captain and hooker Ross Ford pack down with Welshman John Yapp and South African Willem Nel to challenge one of Munster’s bright spots in pre-season, the scrum.

Bradley wants to see his side hitting the ground running.

“We want to make astatement of intent in theRaboDirect Pro12, as a team and as a club, and want to kick that off with a win at home and give our fanssomething to shout about,” he said

It will make for a tough baptism for a Munster set-up still in its infancy.

EDINBURGH: G Tonks; L Jones, N De Luca, B Atiga, T Visser; G Laidlaw – captain, R Rees; J Yapp, R Ford, W Nel; G Gilchrist, S Cox; D Denton, R Rennie, S McInally.

Replacements: A Titterrell, A Jacobsen, G Cross, P Parker, D Basilaia, C Leck, G Hunter, J Houston.

MUNSTER: D Hurley; D Howlett — captain, C Laulala, J Downey, L O’Dea; I Keatley, D Williams; W du Preez, D Varley, BJ Botha; D O’Callaghan, B Holland; P Butler, S Dougall, J Coughlan.

Replacements: M Sherry, M Horan, S Archer, D Foley, B O’Mahony, P Stringer, S Deasy, I Dineen.

Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)