Senior Ireland trio return to Munster ranks for Stormers rematch

Peter O’Mahony, centre, playing against Wasps last season. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Tadhg Beirne and captain Peter O’Mahony return to Munster’s starting XV following their post-World Cup breaks as the URC champions reunite with beaten finalists the Stormers at Thomond Park on Saturday evening.

Conor Murray is a third senior Ireland international back on duty following the tournament and will provide scrum-half cover for Test squad mate Craig Casey who starts alongside another World Cup veteran of the past two months in fly-half Jack Crowley.

O’Mahony, who earned his 100th Ireland cap against Scotland in Paris on October 7, started the quarter-final defeat to New Zealand the following week at Stade de France alongside Beirne and both forwards are set for their seasonal debuts at lock and blindside flanker respectively in their first games for the province since last May’s Grand Final win over the Stormers in Cape Town.

The Ireland pack duo represent two of the four changes made from last Friday’s URC defeat at Ulster, Munster’s first defeat of the league campaign, with Scott Buckley making his first start at hooker since his 2021 debut in the Champions Cup pool game at Wasps. Buckley replaces the injured Diarmuid Barron, an issue which prompted the signing on Thursday of former academy and Jersey Reds hooker Eoghan Clarke on a short-term deal, with Niall Scannell also sidelined.

There is also a return to the starting line-up for academy wing Shay McCarthy who replaces summer signing Seán O’Brien in the only change to the backline.

O’Mahony comes in at number six for Alex Kendellen, who drops to a bench of six forwards and two backs, while Beirne replaces Fineen Wycherley to form a second row with Edwin Edogbo, the academy lock set for his fifth consecutive start of the season.

Also among the replacements is tighthead prop Stephen Archer, who could equal Donncha O’Callaghan’s Munster appearance record if he comes off the bench for his 268th appearance. At the other end of the spectrum, there could also be a senior debut at hooker for Chris Moore, who joined from Exeter University in 2022.

Loosehead prop Josh Wycherley, lock Tom Ahern and back-rower Jack O’Donoghue, who missed last week’s trip to Belfast through illness, join Moore, Aercher and Kendellen as replacement forwards, with Rory Scannell covering fly-half and the rest of the backline alongside Murray.

MUNSTER: S Daly; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S McCarthy; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, S Buckley, J Ryan; E Edogbo, T Beirne; P O’Mahony - captain, J Hodnett, G Coombes.

Replacements: C Moore, J Wycherley, S Archer, T Ahern, J O’Donoghue, C Murray, R Scannell, A Kendellen.

STORMERS: W Gelant; B Loader, R Nel, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, L Zas; J-L du Plessis, P de Wet; S Sithole, J Dweba, N Fouche – captain; R van Heerden, G Porter; W Engelbrecht, B-J Dixon, E Roos.

Replacements: A-H Venter, A Vermaak, B Harris, A Smith, K Morabe, H Jantjies, C Blommetjies, A Davids.