Foley won’t take risks with Ryan or O’Mahony

Munster welcome back more heavy artillery for Friday’s Guinness Pro12 clash with Zebre at Thomond Park, but coach Anthony Foley may have to wait longer than expected for Peter O’Mahony and Donnacha Ryan.

Having achieved a first win of the season under testing circumstances last Friday in Italy with a 21-10 victory at Benetton Treviso, Munster will welcome Italian opposition to Limerick in the shape of Zebre as they bid to prevent a fourth straight defeat at Thomond Park.

Ireland trio Paul O’Connell, Conor Murray and David Kilcoyne, as well as Emerging Ireland tourist JJ Hanrahan, are available for the first time this season but Foley said he would not be taking any risks with injured captain O’Mahony, lock Ryan and wing Keith Earls.

Earls injured a knee during an Ireland training camp in August, O’Mahony is back training after undergoing reconstructive surgery on both shoulders last spring, while Ryan has been carrying a foot injury since last March.

All were training yesterday with the squad at the University of Limerick, but while Foley said all were “going well”, he added: “Donnacha Ryan is seeing his surgeon again on Friday so we will know more after that. He is [training] for the past two weeks. There is just stuff he cannot do and we need to figure out a way around that.”

Ahead of the news season, O’Mahony had said he was targeting a return to action in week three or four of the Pro12 campaign, his likely comeback coming in next week’s home game with Ospreys, but yesterday Foley declined to put a date on his captain’s comeback.

“Peter is doing a bit more contact but he has got a few more weeks to go,” the Munster boss said. “The urge will be to try and get him back quickly but I don’t think that is the right thing to do.”

Foley was more upbeat on Earls’s return to action, but again there was no definitive target for his seasonal debut.

“Keith is flying, you see him over there, running up and down the pitch. He is another fella who is a couple of weeks away and we need to be patient around that again.”

There was plenty of good news for Munster, though, with Argentinian hooker Eusebio Guinazu receiving his work permit yesterday to begin his short-term contract with the province. The Pumas front row will now be able to travel to Ireland but it is unlikely he will be rushed into action against Zebre.

Foley confirmed O’Connell would be available having missed last week’s trip due to personal reasons.

“We have a few more back so it does make for interesting selections now in terms of fellas going forward, but that is what we need, we need that competition within the squad.”