Summer signings set for Munster debuts as Van Graan names first team of new season

Munster supporters will get a first opportunity to see summer signings Mike Haley and Neil Cronin in action when Johann van Graan’s side kick off their pre-season campaign against Declan Kidney’s London Irish side at Musgrave Park this evening (7.30pm).

By naming a 30-man matchday squad, head coach van Graan is planning to field a different team in each half on the newly modified 3G playing surface. Former Sale Sharks full-back Haley, one of around 15 Munster players called into a 50-man Ireland mini-training camp in Kildare during the week, and scrum-half Cronin, signed after a stellar AIL season with Garryowen, are named among the replacements and primed for second-half debuts.

Ireland flanker Tommy O’Donnell, recovered from a shoulder injury suffered against Scarlets in March, will captain Munster from a back row featuring Academy player Gavin Coombs at 8 and JJ Hanrahan handed the 10 jersey in a half-back partnership with James Hart.

With Ireland internationals who toured Australia in June on delayed pre-season programmes and others, including new signing Arno Botha, on different schedules, van Graan has only considered squad members who have done a full seven weeks of pre-season.

So I’m looking to see can we convert what we did in training onto the field in a pressure situation. We will use a lot of numbers on Friday night, so to me it is a process first on Friday evening, that is why it is a pre-season friendly and after that we will reassess and take stock for next week’s game against Exeter,” he said.

MUNSTER: S Fitzgerald; C Nash, D Goggin, R Scannell, D Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, J Hart; J Loughman, K O’Byrne, B Scott; F Wycherley, D O’Shea; D O’Callaghan, T O’Donnell - captain, G Coombes.

Replacements: M Sherry, C Gleeson, D Kilcoyne, C Parker, B Holland, J Kleyn, S O’Connor, J Daly, N Cronin, J Stafford, I Keatley, S Daly, A McHenry, L Coombes, M Haley.

LONDON IRISH: G Tonks; T Ojo, M Williams, F Mulchrone, O Hassell-Collins; T Brophy Clews, B Meehan; G Reid, D Porecki, O Hoskins; T Paulo, S de Chaves; J McNally, M Northcote-Green, M Rogerson.

Replacements: S Fainga’a, H Elrington, P du Plessis, B Maddison, S Twomey, B McKibbin, S Myler, J O’Sullivan, I Curtis-Harris, J Schatz, B Campbell, R Knight, S Steele, S O’Hagan.