Beirne, O'Mahony and Crowley return to starting team as Munster aim to make amends

Tadhg Beirne will lead the Munster team for the first time since he was appointed successor to Peter O'Mahony as captain. 

RETURN: Peter O'Mahony during Munster training. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony and Jack Crowley return to the starting line-up for the first time this season to spearhead Munster’s bid for a much-needed URC win against Ospreys in Cork on Saturday evening.

The trio of Ireland internationals will be making their seasonal debuts at Virgin Media Park after a delayed pre-season following the drawn summer Test series against the Springboks in South Africa. Beirne will lead the side for the first time since his appointment by Graham Rowntree to succeed O’Mahony as club captain ahead of the new season with Munster having suffered a humiliating 42-33 defeat at Zebre Parma last Saturday in Italy.

It is a side showing eight changes and one positional switch from that dismal performance as Munster welcome Ospreys to Cork for this round-three contest having conceded 11 tries in their first two league games, six of them in Parma.

Beirne comes into the second row alongside Jean Kleyn as Fineen Wycherley drops to the bench while O’Mahony is named at openside flanker, replacing Ruadhan Quinn, who failed a Head Injury Assessment at Zebre.

Tadhg Beirne during Munster training. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Munster’s selection options have been further compromised by injury and the unavailibilty of players on tour with Emerging Ireland.

The defeat to Zebre cost Rowntree the services of backs Thaakir Abrahams (shoulder) and Shane Daly (shoulder), as well as back-rower Quinn while Emerging Ireland have called up academy prop George Hadden as injury cover for another Munster front-rower, Mark Donnelly (ankle), ahead of Sunday’s tour match against Australia’s Western Force in Bloemfontein.

The loss of Abrahams and Daly, means Saturday’s starting back three of full-back Mike Haley, Calvin Nash and academy wing Shay McCarthy are the only players fit and available in those positions with Ben O’Connor and Sean O’Brien on Irish duty in South Africa and Diarmuid Kilgallen, Liam Coombes and Patrick Campbell sidelined by injury.

Daly had started at outside centre against Zebre and his absence sees Tom Farrell move from inside centre to 13 as former Garryowen man Bryan Fitzgerald is handed a first start since turning pro this summer in the number 12 jersey as Alex Nankivell remains unavailable with a shoulder issue.

Crowley moves back into the fly-half berth as Tony Butler moves to the bench and the Ireland 10’s selection reunites the Innishannon man with scrum-half Craig Casey, who remains at number nine.

In the forward pack there are changes at loosehead prop, hooker and No.8 in addition to Beirne and O’Mahony’s selection. Loosehead Jeremy Loughman and hooker Niall Scannell come off the bench to switch with Josh Wycherley and last week’s skipper Diarmuid Barron respectively while Jack O’Donoghue comes in at No.8 for Gavin Coombes who also drops to the bench.

Head coach Rowntree has named six forwards and two backs as his replacements, switching from a 5:3 split for the first time this season as Munster’s record appearance maker Stephen Archer provides tighthead prop cover with John Ryan also named as loosehead cover.

Fineen Wycherley, Gavin Coombes and Jack Daly complete the forward cover with Conor Murray and Butler are the backline replacements.

MUNSTER (v Ospreys): M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, B Fitzgerald, S McCarthy; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; J Kleyn, T Beirne - captain; P O’Mahony, J Hodnett, J O’Donoghue.

Replacements: D Barron, J Ryan, S Archer, F Wycherley, G Coombes, C Murray, T Butler, J Daly.