Injury returnees Snyman and Haley included in Munster side to face Scarlets
BACK IN RED: Munster's South African lock RG Snyman. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho
RG Snyman is set for his first Munster appearance of the season when the URC champions resume their bid for this year’s play-offs at Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday night.
The South African double World Cup-winning lock has not turned out for the province since last May’s URC Grand Final victory over the Stormers in Cape Town, having returned from the Springbok’s successful defence of the Webb Ellis Cup with a shoulder and neck issue that required surgery last November.
Snyman, who will join Leinster next season at the end of a four-year spell with Munster, comes into a strong side given the absence of its frontline Ireland Six Nations stars with full-back Mike Haley also set for his first outing of the campaign following a pre-season hip injury.
Munster, playing their first competitive match since their final Champions Cup pool game against Northampton Saints on January 20, have made seven changes from the line-up which started in the win over Super Rugby champions Crusaders a fortnight ago.
Tighthead prop Oli Jager, loosehead Jeremy Loughman and scrum-half Conor Murray also coming into the starting team having been released from Ireland camp during this Six Nations fallow week.
There are also returns from injury for hooker Niall Scannell and lock Tom Ahern, both of whom missed the Pairc Ui Chaoimh clash with the New Zealanders.
Ahern partners Snyman in the second row behind a front row of Loughman, Scannell and Jager while packing down behind them will be Alex Kendellen, who retains the Munster captaincy role he performed for the first time against Crusaders, at openside flanker alongside blindside academy powerhouse Ruadhan Quinn and No.8 Gavin Coombes.
Haley starts at full-back in a back three with wings Seán O’Brien and Shane Daly, while the established centre partnership of Alex Nankivell and Antoine Frisch continues outside the half-back axis of Murray and Joey Carbery.
On the bench, head coach Graham Rowntree includes two more academy players in scrum-half Ethan Coughlan and wing Shay McCarthy, both of whom started against Crusaders, while there is also a first URC appearance of the campaign for back-rower Jack O’Sullivan, who made his comeback from injury at No.8 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.
Rory Scannell provides cover at fly-half and midfield.
M Haley; S O’Brien, A Frisch, A Nankivell; S Daly; J Carbery, C Murray; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; T Ahern, RG Snyman; R Quinn, A Kendellen - captain, G Coombes.
E Clarke, J Wycherley, J Ryan, F Wycherley, J O’Sullivan, E Coughlan, R Scannell, S McCarthy.
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