Munster make six changes to side for Cardiff clash as Craig Casey ruled out through injury

TEAM NEWS: First start of the season for Jack Crowley. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Jack Crowley, Gavin Coombes and Tom Ahern are among the players set to make their first starts of the season for Munster on Saturday but Craig Casey is among a string of injured players set to miss the visit of Cardiff to Thomond Park in URC round two.

Niall Scannell will captain the side for new head coach Clayton McMillan’s first competitive home fixture and there is a home debut for summer signing Dan Kelly, the Irish-qualified centre who scored in last Saturday’s season-opening bonus-point win at Scarlets.

Crowley starts at fly-half having come off the bench in Wales in round one for the injured JJ Hanrahan but he will not be reunited with his Ireland half-back partner Casey, who has been ruled out with a thigh issue.

Ethan Coughlan has been handed the number nine jersey in Casey’s absence, while there is an all-new back row and a change at full-back where academy player Ben O’Connor comes in for Mike Haley, who will be sidelined for up to two weeks with a strained and bruised thigh, Munster said.

Hanrahan, 33, had started last Saturday’s URC season-opener at Scarlets but failed a Head Injury Assessment having received a knock at the end of the opening half in Wales, ruling the fly-half out of this second-round fixture and paving the way for Crowley to make his first start of the season on home soil.

Crowley regains the number 10 jersey having come off the bench for the second half and kicking three conversions as Munster completed a 34-21 bonus-point win in Llanelli. The Innishannon man’s place among the replacements goes to Tony Butler, who, like Coughlan, earns his first matchday involvement of the new campaign at the start of his second season as a senior pro.

The new-look back-row sees last week’s replacements and Ireland international duo Tom Ahern and Gavin Coombes start at blindside flanker and No.8 respectively as Jack O’Donoghue and Alex Kendellen sit out the weekend, the latter having undergone ankle surgery. Kendellen, another to have earned an Ireland debut this summer will be sidelined for between six and eight weeks. With John Hodnett (cheek) also sidelined there is a first start of the season at openside flanker for 21-year-old first-season senior Ruadhan Quinn.

Otherwise, McMillan’s starting line-up is unchanged from the one which started at Parc y Scarlets last weekend with Shane Daly and Thaakir Abrahams on the wings outside a centre partnership of Alex Nankivell and Kelly.

The front five of the forward pack is also retained with Jeremy Loughman, Scannell and Oli Jager in the front row, and Jean Kleyn and Fineen Wycherley continuing in the second row.

Replacement hooker Diarmuid Barron is in line for his first appearance of the season with Josh Wycherley and academy prop Ronan Foxe also providing front row cover.

O’Donoghue and Brian Gleeson, last week’s starting No.8, complete the forward reinforcements. Paddy Patterson, Butler and Seán O’Brien are the backline replacements.

Foxe’s selection as tighthead cover comes after last Saturday’s debutant Conor Bartley was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a thigh injury while centre Tom Farrell (calf), wing Andrew Smith (chest), props Michael Milne (calf) and John Ryan (elbow) are all set to return to training next week.

Wing Diarmuid Kilgallen (ankle) returns to training in one to two weeks, Munster said on Thursday while Hodnett’s return to play has been pencilled in for five weeks’ time. Casey’s expected absence is yet to be confirmed.

MUNSTER: B O’Connor, S Daly, D Kelly, A Nankivell, T Abrahams; J Crowley, E Coughlan; J Loughman, N Scannell (C), O Jager; J Kleyn, F Wycherley; T Ahern, R Quinn, G Coombes.

Replacements: D Barron, J Wycherley, R Foxe, J O’Donoghue, B Gleeson, P Patterson, T Butler, S O’Brien.