Injuries see Munster bring in Lee Barron and Michael Milne ahead of schedule

The Leinster front-rowers were set to switch provinces on permanent deals this summer.

DUE SOUTH: Lee Barron will link up with his new Munster teammates. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Munster have brought forward the arrivals of Leinster front-rowers Lee Barron and Michael Milne after signing the forwards on loan until the end of the season.

Loosehead prop Milne and hooker Barron were set to switch provinces on permanent deals this summer but injuries in Munster's Champions Cup knockout ties over the past two weekends have hastened their arrival and subject to URC registration they may be in line to make their debuts in this Saturday’s crunch home game against the Bulls.

Milne and Lee Barron will begin integrating at Munster’s High Performance Centre at the University of Limerick following injuries to loosehead Jeremy Loughman and hooker Diarmuid Barron, against La Rochelle and Bordeaux-Begles respectively over the past fortnight.

Birr native Milne played schools rugby alongside Munster's Josh Wycherley at Cistercian College, Roscrea and both looseheads on the 2019 Ireland Under-20 Grand Slam-winning squad alongside Craig Casey and John Hodnett.

He made his Leinster debut as an academy player in the same year and has scored 12 tries in 48 appearances for head coach Leo Culllen.

Now 26, Milne was on the Emerging Ireland tour in 2022 and has twice been called up to the Ireland senior squad.

Lee Barron, 24, is also a former Ireland U20 player and has scored three tries in 23 appearances since making his Leinster debut as an academy player in 2022.

The Lansdowne RFC and St Michael’s College hooker has scored one try in seven appearances so far this season.