Big guns return with need to steer Munster ship back on course 

Graham Rowntree's men need to right the wrongs of the shock loss to Zebre Parma. 

Jack Crowley with Conor Murray and Max Clein. Pic: Ben Brady

Tadhg Beirne’s leadership mettle will have been tested to the full ahead of his first appearance as Munster’s club captain against Ospreys in Cork on Saturday evening but the Ireland star has backed his squad’s senior players to help him drive a return to the high standards they expect of themselves.

A week on from perhaps the worst performance of the Graham Rowntree era as head coach, Munster welcome back both their newly-appointed skipper and his predecessor Peter O’Mahony to add 157 international caps of experience to the forward pack while Jack Crowley also returns from his player-welfare delayed pre-season with what Beirne feels is a more mature outlook to his fly-half play.