Heineken Cup: Munster team to face Harlequins named

Munster will be without five first-choice players when they face English side Harlequins in the Heineken Cup at Thomond Park, Limerick, on Saturday.

Coach Declan Kidney was today forced to leave out internationals Peter Stringer, John Hayes, David Wallace and Rob Henderson as well as emerging talent Paul O’Connell when he named his starting XV for the weekend’s important European Cup tie.

Scrum-half Stringer has a broken bone in his heel which will also keep him out of Munster final group game in France against Castres on January 12 and, of the Irish champions progress, the quarter-finals at the end of this month.

Also out are prop Hayes (shoulder), flanker David Wallace (shoulder) and centre Rob Henderson (groin) although all could feature on the replacements bench.

Mike Prendergast comes in at scrum-half, while Peter Clohessy moves across the front row to Hayes’ number three berth to win his 100th Munster cap and Marcus Horan comes in at number one.

Skipper Mick Galwey will play in the second row having shaken off a back injury and will be partnered in the second row by Mick O’Driscoll after O’Connell succumbed to a back injury while Alan Quinlan continues to deputise for Wallace whose last game was for Ireland against New Zealand in November.

There is a vacancy at hooker where Frank Sheahan has a calf injury.

James Blaney and John Fogarty stand by.

Munster team: D Crotty, J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, A Horgan, R O’Gara, M Prendergast; M Horan, AN Other, M Galwey (capt), M O’Driscoll, J Williams, A Quinlan, A Foley.