Casey to skipper Munster as McMillan welcomes back five internationals

Munster have named a 38-player squad spread across two teams to face Bath in Cork on Friday night,

Craig Casey during Munster training in UL. Pic: Nick Elliott, inpho

Munster boss Clayton McMillan has welcomed back a quintet of Ireland internationals in a 38-player squad spread across two teams to face Bath in Cork on Friday night, with Craig Casey set to captain one of the sides.

Scrum-half Casey captained Ireland for their summer tour Tests, wins against Georgia and Portugal, and he returns to provincial duty alongside Gavin Coombes and a trio who made their Irish debuts on tour, Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen and Michael Milne.

Summer signings JJ Hanrahan, Dan Kelly and Conor Ryan are set for their first home outings at Virgin Media Park when English champions Bath, led by former Munster head coach Johann van Graan will provide the final pre-season opposition before the URC campaign gets underway at Scarlets on Saturday, September 27.

The clubs have agreed on an extended playing time of 90 minutes for the game with 10-minute breaks after 30 and 60 minutes rather than a half-time interval with new head coach McMillan giving each of his two teams 45 minutes each on the field.

Niall Scannell captains the first-half team as he did at Gloucester last Friday and the hooker starts alongside props Jeremy Loughman, fit again for the first time since the Champions Cup win at La Rochelle last April, and tighthead Oli Jager. Ahern and Evan O’Connell form the second row while Coombes anchors the back row alongside openside flanker Kendellen with Ruadhan Quinn on the blindside.

Fly-half Hanrahan partners Ethan Coughlan in the opening half-back combination, inside a midfield duo of Kelly at inside centre and Sean O’Brien with a back three of full-back Shane Daly and wings Andrew Smith and Diarmuid Kilgallen.

Casey leads Munster in the second-half team and captains for the first time following on from his successful debut as an Ireland skipper this summer, partnering fly-half Tony Butler. Academy centre Gordon Wood partners Fionn Gibbons in midfield on the inside of a back three of Thaakir Abrahams and fellow wing Ben O’Connor with Mike Haley at full-back.

Loosehead Milne partners hooker Lee Barron and tighthead John Ryan in the second-half while lock Ryan’s first home start since signing from UCC sees him partner Fineen Wycherley in the second row. Jack O’Donoghue is named at blindside flanker with John Hodnett on the openside and Brian Gleeson at No.8.

McMillan has named eight replacements for the 90-minute game with four further academy players in addition to starters Wood and O’Connor. Flanker Michael Foy is in line for his first senior appearance, as is senior prop Conor Bartley, while the other academy players are hooker Max Clein, prop Ronan Foxe and back-rower Sean Edogbo.

MUNSTER (Team 1): Shane Daly; Andrew Smith, Seán O’Brien, Dan Kelly, Diarmuid Kilgallen; JJ Hanrahan, Ethan Coughlan; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell - captain, Oli Jager; Evan O’Connell, Tom Ahern; Ruadhán Quinn, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.

MUNSTER (Team 2): Mike Haley; Ben O’Connor, Fionn Gibbons, Gordon Wood, Thaakir Abrahams; Tony Butler, Craig Casey - captain; Michael Milne, Lee Barron, John Ryan; Conor Ryan, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett, Brian Gleeson.

Replacements: Max Clein, Mark Donnelly, Conor Bartley, Ronan Foxe, Michael Foy, Seán Edogbo, Paddy Patterson, Shay McCarthy.