Munster update: Simon Zebo out of Champions Cup clash at Exeter

Winger misses out through illness, Shane Daly comes in

Simon Zebo: Misses out.

Munster lost another big-name player ahead of their Heineken Champions Cup clash at Exeter Chiefs on Saturday when Simon Zebo was ruled out of the Round of 16 first leg at Sandy Park due to illness.

Johann van Graan’s squad for the trip to the English south-west had already lost captain Peter O’Mahony and fellow Ireland internationals Tadhg Beirne, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, Gavin Coombes and Dave Kilcoyne to injury for this away opener of a back-to-back tie to be decided on aggregate scores. Then Munster lost the services of wing Zebo and replacement hooker Diarmuid Barron on the day of the game due to acute gastroenteritis.

Zebo, who had been set to return from a head knock that had kept him out of last Saturday’s league loss at home to Leister, was replaced on the left wing by Shane Daly while Barron’s place on the bench was taken by academy hooker Scott Buckley, who made a try-scoring European debut in the opening pool game at Wasps.

EXETER CHIEFS: S Hogg; O Woodburn, H Slade, I Whitten, T O’Flaherty; J Simmonds, S Maunder; A Hepburn, J Yeandle – captain, H Williams; J Gray, S Skinner; D Ewers, J Vermuelen, S Simmonds.

Replacements: J Innard, B Moon, P Schickerling, J Kirsten, R Capstick, J Maunder, H Skinner, J Hodge.

MUNSTER: M Haley; K Earls, C Farrell, D de Allende, S Daly; B Healy, C Murray; J Loughman, N Scannell, S Archer; J Kleyn, F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue - captain, J Hodnett, A Kendellen.

Replacements: S Buckley, J Wycherley, J Ryan, J Jenkins, T Ahern, C Casey, R Scannell, J O’Sullivan.

Referee: P Brousset (France)