Penney urges players to view game as Test audition

Munster head coach Rob Penney has called on his players to put their money where his mouth was and prove against Leinster on Saturday night that they are worthy of Ireland Test consideration.

Penney kick-started the build-up to this weekend’s top of the table RaboDirect Pro12 clash between the interprovincial rivals at a sold-out Aviva Stadium by suggesting his side were facing not just the league leaders but the “Six Nations champions”. He was referring to the 17 Leinster players among the 29 used by Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt during the victorious championship campaign with Munster representation in the national squad numbering just four.

Yet while the New Zealander yesterday learned he will be without one Test-quality player in the form of foot injury victim Donnacha Ryan, who was yesterday seeing a specialist to determine the extent of his problem, Penney defended his words spoken last Saturday following a scrappy home win over Treviso that cut Leinster’s lead at the top to two points.