McMillan backs experience and youthful power as unbeaten Munster prepare for Leinster test

POWER AND EXPERIENCE: Clayton McMillan has named a powerful and experienced side to take on Leinster who have named 12 Lions in their squad. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Clayton McMillan has turned to experience and power in his Munster team selection for trip to Croke Park on Saturday to face URC champions and derby rivals Leinster.

The advent of this round four clash comes with Munster unbeaten with three wins from three and 14 league points out of a possible 15 while Leinster lost twice in South Africa at the Stormers and Bulls before returning to Dublin to collect the first win of their title defence at the expense of the Sharks last Saturday.

McMillan, is not reading anything into the current URC standings, though, and with good reason after opposite number Leo Cullen named a Leinster matchday squad featuring 12 Lions tourists, nine of them starters, as well as double World Cup winning Springbok lock RG Snyman, for his strongest side of the campaign so far.

Yet having rotated his squad using 35 players for wins at Scarlets and home to Cardiff and Edinburgh, the new Munster head coach has handed a seasonal debut to Munster captain and British & Irish Lions player of the series Tadhg Beirne while also on Thursday including the bulk of talented young forwards Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson, a day after the uncapped pair were named as extra players in Ireland’s squad to face New Zealand in Chicago on November 1.

“We’re fully aware of the challenge that is ahead of us and we’ve plumped for a bit of experience,” McMillan said. “It’s great to have Tadhg back in leading the team.

“We’ve rewarded people that we think have earned the opportunity to go out and play against Leinster at Croke Park, and that’s what we want when we play these types of games.” 

There is still no return from injury for first-choice scrum-half Craig Casey (hamstring), while Munster will also be without tighthead prop Oli Jager, lock/flanker Tom Ahern, and full-back Mike Haley, all of whom are following return-to-play protocols after sustaining head injuries while wing Calvin Nash (shoulder) and hooker Niall Scannell (hand laceration) are also sidelined.

Beirne starts at blindside flanker while Edogbo, 22, makes his first start in 22 months at lock alongside ever-present Fineen Wycherley as Jean Kleyn moves to the bench with the Cobh native having returned off the bench last weekend from an Achilles injury sustained against Leinster in December 2023.

Jack O’Donoghue moves from blindside to openside to accommodate Beirne with 21-year-old Gleeson installed at No.8 to replace Gavin Coombes, who also moves to the replacements.

John Ryan comes in for Jager at tighthead to join retained front-rowers Diarmuid Barron at hooker and loosehead Michael Milne, scorer of two tries against Edinburgh.

In the backline, Jack Crowley returns at fly-half ahead of a match-up against Ireland rival Sam Prendergast and joins scrum-half Ethan Coughlan in a half-back pairing which replaces JJ Hanrahan and Paddy Patterson, both of whom are named on the bench. There is a new midfield partnership with last Friday’s man of the match Tom Farrell kept at outside centre to play alongside summer signing Dan Kelly while the back three sees a return at full-back for Shane Daly with South African flyer Thaakir Abrahams recalled to the left wing and Andrew Smith continuing on the right after a try-scoring turn in Cork.

McMillan has been impressed by the growth in Munster’s leadership group over his first three games at the helm as they have rebounded from slow starts to grind out victories in both their home games, a 23-20 Thomond Park win over Cardiff and last Friday’s 20-19 bonus-point success against Edinburgh in Cork.

“I personally think our leaders, the ones we’re trying to grow and urge, have been doing a good job. We don’t see the fruits of our labour during the week until we get tested under pressure. And we have certainly been put under pressure in every game we have played. And we haven’t always got it right.

“There have been really good leadership meetings on Mondays when we’ve been dissecting the game away from the bulk of the squad and really challenging the decisions that we make. What we might do differently if we are put into similar positions. There’s a growing awareness of what the roles are out on the field.

“At half-time in the last couple of games, it has just been evident. We haven’t been there physically. And to get an outcome in either of those games we needed to see a sharp shift otherwise we would be at the wrong end of the scoreboard.

“It hasn’t been anything magical happening at half-time. It’s just about being honest and getting an adequate response.” 

MUNSTER (v Leinster): Shane Daly; Andrew Smith, Tom Farrell, Dan Kelly, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Ethan Coughlan; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne - captain, Jack O’Donoghue, Brian Gleeson.

Replacements: Lee Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Ronan Foxe, Jean Kleyn, Gavin Coombes, Paddy Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, Alex Nankivell.