Coughlan: Time for Reds to deliver
A new-look Edinburgh will be forced to line out without Greig Laidlaw (knee) and Tim Visser (foot), the two players expected to pose the biggest threat to Munster, but the visitors also have to contend with an injury to centre Matt Scott (ankle).
The captaincy will now be taken by second row Sean Cox, one of eight forwards chosen to start the third match in succession having already played Newcastle Falcons (won 15-5) and Northampton (lost 6-24).
Although new coach Alan Solomons would prefer to have his top names in action, he sees it as an opportunity for others, and in naming an unchanged pack he believes consistency of selection could be an important factor in the outcome.
“It’s an experienced pack, one that has delivered two solid performances and therefore merits selection,” he said.
Munster, of course, will not be at full strength either and skipper Peter O’Mahony is just one of the absentees under the IRFU game management system. James Coughlan does, however, bring a wealth of experience as he takes over the captaincy and he’s looking forward to the competitive kick-off.
“This time 12 months ago it was probably about learning and growth,” he said.
“That would probably have been our focus, but now it’s about adding the detail and to perform is the big thing. We have done all the learning and we have done all the growth, fellas have experienced the level we need to be performing at and it is about now making sure that our levels are at a stage we know can win a Heineken Cup.
Although Munster go into the game flush from four victories over Edinburgh last season (two Rabo, two Heineken Cup), Coughlan expects a strong challenge from the visitors who will be particularly anxious to make a good start under new coach Solomons.
“The fact that it is the seasonal opener makes it difficult to accurately assess the opposition,” he said. “Everyone is in a new situation. They don’t know what we are bringing and we don’t know what we’re bringing. We don’t have that ability to analyse at this stage of the season.”
Meanwhile Ireland International and former Munster favourite Tomás O’Leary will captain London Irish today as they open their Aviva Premiership campaign against Saracens at Twickenham (2pm).
Munster: D Hurley; R O’Mahony, C Laulala, I Dineen, J Murphy; I Keatley, D Williams; J Cronin, M Sherry, S Archer; D Foley, D O’Callaghan; D O’Callaghan, S Dougall, J Coughlan (captain). Replacements: D Varley, D Kilcoyne, J Ryan, B Holland, T O’Donnell, C Sheridan, JJ Hanrahan, C Bohane.
Edinburgh: G Tonks, D Fife, N De Luca, B Atiga, L Jones, P Francis, S Kennedy, A Dickinson, R Ford, WP Nel, G Gilchrist, I van der Westhuizen, S Cos (captain), R Grant, D Denton.
Replacements: A Lutui, G Cross, L Niven, O Atkins, H Watson, S Hidalgo-Clyne, H Leonard, J Cuthbert.
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