Stringer and O’Gara reunited

Munster will reunite Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara at half-back for the first time in 19 months as head coach Rob Penney shuffles his deck for tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Newport Gwent Dragons at Thomond Park (8pm).

The game will also see Ireland backs Simon Zebo and Keith Earls make their first starts of the season and openside flanker Niall Ronan return to the senior side for the first time since a serious knee injury sidelined him last January.

Scrum-half Stringer, who signed a one-year contract extension for 2012-13 having spent six months on loan at Saracens and Newcastle Falcons, will start his first game for the province since Munster’s trip to Edinburgh last season on September 30, 2011. You have to go back a further seven months to February 19, 2011 for the last time the 98-capped Ireland number nine last partnered fly-half O’Gara in a starting line-up, Edinburgh also providing the opposition that day at Thomond Park.