Munster banking on Jager impact for Leinster clash

JAGER IMPACT: Munster are banking on Oli Jager making the same impact as a starter against Leinster as he has already made off the bench and on the training field after the tighthead prop was handed his first start for the sell-out St Stephen’s URC derby clash at Thomond Park. Pic:  ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Munster are banking on Oli Jager making the same impact as a starter against Leinster as he has already made off the bench and on the training field after the tighthead prop was handed his first start for the sell-out St Stephen’s URC derby clash at Thomond Park.

A month after signing from serial Super Rugby champions the Crusaders, the 29-year-old Blackrock-educated and Irish-qualified tighthead will pull on the red number three jersey for the first time next Tuesday as Graham Rowntree attempts to engineer a first home win in the fixture since December 2018.

The head coach has made four changes from the starting line-up for last Sunday’s 32-24 Champions Cup pool defeat at Exeter Chiefs with the 6ft 4ins prop starting alongside hooker Diarmuid Barron and a returning Dave Kilcoyne at loosehead for a heavyweight clash against an all-Test Leinster front row.

Jager has already impressed his new Munster team-mates, and not just in the two appearances he has made from the bench, against Glasgow and Exeter either side of a minor injury.

"Very good,” was Craig Casey’s verdict this week on Jager’s arrival after seven years in the Canterbury and Crusaders system in New Zealand.

“First of all, as a fella he's settled in very well. Good to probably get on home soil I think, for him, he's delighted to be here.

"He's added a huge amount of knowledge to the team, coming from such a winning environment at the Crusaders and obviously has a lot of rugby IQ to dish out to us, the forwards and stuff like that.

“Then on the field he’s a big man, you can see the impact he has, especially around rucking time, he’s made a huge impact around the ruck. So it’s been great to get him in.” 

With Munster looking to rebound from a disappointing opening to their Champions Cup pool campaign over the last two weekends, drawing at home with Bayonne before that loss at Sandy Park, pitting Jager against Ireland’s starting loosehead Andrew Porter is a statement of intent.

So too Rowntree’s inclusion of Porter’s Test back-up Kilcoyne, set for his first start of the campaign having made two appearances as a replacement against Leinster and Glasgow at the turn of the month.

Also back in the starting XV is academy lock Edwin Edogbo, recovered from the neck injury which saw him miss both Champions Cup pool games, who partners Gavin Coombes in the second row while Jack O’Donoghue remains at No.8 having recovered from a hip injury which forced him out of the Exeter game midway through the second half last Sunday.

The final change comes in the backline where Simon Zebo comes in at full-back, with Shane Daly switching to the left wing as Sean O’Brien moves to the bench.

Hooker Barron regains the captaincy in the absence of lock Tadhg Beirne, who along with scrum-half Conor Murray is rested in line with IRFU player welfare protocols having featured in five World Cup matches for Ireland earlier in the season and five times for their province since returning.

Leinster have stood down fellow Ireland stars Robbie Henshaw, Jimmy O’Brien, Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, and co-captain James Ryan for the same reason but Leo Cullen welcomes back fly-half Harry Byrne having completed return to play protocols to start at number 10 alongside Jamison Gibson-Park.

Tabletoppers Leinster, looking to continue an eight-match winning run in both the URC and Champions Cup which began following an opening-round league defeat at Glasgow in October, make nine changes and a positional switch from the line-up which kicked off the 37-27 pool defeat of Sale Sharks at the RDS last Saturday.

Ciaran Frawley moves from fly-half to inside centre in a midfield partnership with captain Garry Ringrose, Rob Russell is in for Jimmy O’Brien on the left wing, while among the forwards, hooker Ronan Kelleher and tighthead Michael Ala’alatoa move off the bench.

Joe McCarthy also switches from replacement to second row in partnership with Ross Molony and there is an all-new back row with Max Deegan and Scott Penny at blindside and openside flanker respectively, and Jack Conan at No.8.

Leinster also welcome back scrum-half Luke McGrath from a knee injury to provide cover for Gibson-Park while lock Jason Jenkins has passed fit to take his place on the bench after failing to finish the win over Sale last Saturday due to a back issue. Jenkins is one of six forwards among the Leinster replacements.

MUNSTER: S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; D Kilcoyne, D Barron - captain, O Jager; E Edogbo, G Coombes; T Ahern, J Hodnett, J O’Donoghue.

Replacements: E Clarke, J Loughman, S Archer, B Gleeson, A Kendellen, P Patterson, T Butler, S O’Brien.

LEINSTER: H Keenan; J Larmour, G Ringrose – captain, C Frawley, R Russell; H Byrne, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, M Ala’alatoa; R Molony, J McCarthy; M Deegan, S Penny, J Conan.

Replacements: D Sheehan, E Byrne, T Clarkson, J Jenkins, R Baird, L McGrath, L Turner, W Connors.

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)