Hurley set to take centre stage

Munster could be poised to mix up their midfield for tomorrow’s RaboDirect Pro12 top-of-the-table clash with Leinster by including Denis Hurley at inside centre.

With more than one eye on the following week’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against French powerhouse Toulouse, Munster head coach Rob Penney is believed to want Hurley to audition alongside Casey Laulala for the job of shackling Gael Fickou and fit-again Florian Fritz when the four-time European champions visit Thomond Park for the first time on April 5.

James Downey played number 12 and scored a try in the hard-fought win over Treviso last Saturday as Munster played their first game in three weeks, but Hurley, 29, has undergone something of a conversion from back three player to inside centre. The Corkman played at 12 twice for Munster A in the B&I Cup before Penney paired him in midfield with Laulala for the first time in the 54-13 win over Cardiff last month and renewed their partnership as Munster lost at Scarlets on March 1.