Denis Leamy: 'What we've seen over the last month from our boys, training, has been excellent'

UPWARD CURVE: Defence Coach Denis Leamy is impressed with the upward curve of Munster after shaky start. Pic: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

A bounce following the announcement of Clayton McMillan’s arrival as boss for next season is a little premature but Munster have been boosted by the returns of key players for Friday’s URC clash at home to Edinburgh.

John Hodnett and Calvin Nash have been released from Ireland camp while Alex Nankivell and Sean O’Brien are set to make their comebacks from respective hamstring and leg injuries for the Virgin Media Park fixture in Cork (7:35pm).

Interim head coach Ian Costello has made eight changes from the side which saw off Scarlets in Limerick a fortnight ago, the second of two consecutive bonus-point wins three weeks apart as the URC tiptoes around the Six Nations. The Edinburgh visit is Munster’s third match in 34 days but defence coach Denis Leamy is not fazed by the fractured nature of the competition.

“It depends what way you look at it,” Leamy said. “What we've seen over the last month from our boys, training, has been excellent. They're on an upward curve. The standard of training has been really strong over the last while and there's a great unity within the group, there’s a great humour within the group, there’s a great vibe and that gives you confidence that there's hopefully a big performance in us on Friday night.” 

A shaky start to 2024-25 saw Munster in 11th place as recently as January and Leamy accepted the squad had run out of wiggle room for securing the top-four finish that will deliver a home quarter-final at the end of May.

“That is the challenge. We want to get a home quarter-final. We set high standards for ourselves and it's a very tough league. It's very competitive and has been for the last number of years, and every game is a battle.

“We've done really well, put ourselves back into fifth. So we're very confident in the way we want to play the game and I think that has got us a number of wins over the last while and the run-in now, over the next couple of months, it's going to be very difficult, but that’s the way the league is every week. There's going to be tough games along the way and it's about racking up as many points as you can to ensure that you’re in that top eight first and foremost, but obviously a home quarter-final is what we aim for and the standard we set.

“It starts this weekend against Edinburgh, they're having a good season themselves and they’re going to present loads of challenges.” 

Both sides are without the majority of their internationals with Edinburgh also missing former Munster fly-half Ben Healy due to a hip injury.

Costello has recalled Hodnett, Nash, Nankivell, Shay McCarthy, matchday captain Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Evan O’Connell and Brian Gleeson to the starting line-up while O’Brien’s return for a first game since October will be from the bench.

Fellow centre Nankivell makes his first appearance since December 20.

MUNSTER: B O’Connor; C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, S McCarthy; B Burns, E Coughlan; J Wycherley, N Scannell, J Ryan; E O’Connell, F Wycherley; T Ahern, J Hodnett, B Gleeson.

Replacements: D Barron, M Donnelly, S Archer, R Quinn, A Kendellen, P Patterson, T Butler, S O’Brien.

EDINBURGH: W Goosen; M Currie, J Lang, M Tuipulotu, R McCann; R Thompson, B Vellacott – captain; B Venter, E Ashman, P Hill; M Sykes, S Skinner; L Crosbie, B Muncaster, M Bradbury.

Replacements: P Harrison, R Hislop, D Rae, G Young, H Watson, A Price, C Scott, M Bennett.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)