Beirne, Casey, Crowley and Farrell return as McMillan makes ten changes for Toulon clash

TEAM NEWS: Club captain Tadhg Beirne, scrum-half Craig Casey, fly-half Jack Crowley and outside centre Tom Farrell were all named as starters on Friday as head coach McMillan unveiled his matchday squad to travel to the south of France on Saturday morning. Picture: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Clayton McMillan has promised his Munster side will give it a good shake as they attempt to rebound from a heavy URC defeat in the cauldron of Toulon’s Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday.

The head coach has named his strongest available side in a attempt to deliver a first home defeat of the season to the French Top 14 heavyweights, making 10 changes from the side outgunned 28-3 by Ulster last Friday night in Belfast, including the recalling of Ireland international quartet Tadhg Beirne, the captain, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, and Tom Farrell, all of whom had missed the URC derby due to IRFU-mandated rest.

Toulon played last Sunday and sent a shadow team north-west from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast where they were hammered 66-0 by Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle and the Munster boss is expecting a big change in attitude when the three-time Champions Cup winners return to European Pool 2 action on home turf this Sunday (1pm Irish time).

“Absolutely, a tough, tough place to go and play,” McMillan said on Friday. “It's probably epitomised by the fact that they haven't lost at home this year. They've obviously put a huge emphasis on that, and we know that Europe is important to them, so no illusions around the challenge.

“But we also know that if we play anywhere near our best that we're going to give it a good shake. And that's always our aspiration every week, but we've got to match our aspiration with what we say we're going to do to actually deliver.” 

Right wing Calvin Nash, inside centre Alex Nankivell, hooker Diarmuid Barron, tighthead prop Michael Ala’alatoa and lock Fineen Wycherley are the only survivors from last Friday’s loss while second row Jean Kleyn (calf), and back-rowers John Hodnett (thumb), and Alex Kendellen (ankle) have been ruled out through injuries sustained against Ulster.

Beirne will captain from blindside flanker in an all-new back row featuring Jack O’Donoghue at openside flanker and Gavin Coombes at No.8. Edwin Edogbo returns to partner Fineen Wycherley in the second row while Jeremy Loughman comes off the bench from last weekend to start at loosehead prop.

Casey and Crowley comes straight in as the half-backs with Farrell partnering Nankivell in midfield while academy player Ben O’Connor starts on the left wing with Shane Daly in at full-back to join Nash in the back three.

McMIllan praised O’Connor’s performance in the same position against Gloucester last month when he helped Munster to a bonus-point victory at Cork’s SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in round two as they rebounded from a 40-14 hammering at Bath.

“I think he had a great game that day. He picked up an ankle injury early on, he soldiered through the whole game.

“He was pretty error-free, he was sound defensively, he was particularly good under the high ball, and if that injury hadn't impacted his ability to be selected in the following weeks, then he probably, in all likelihood, would have still been out there off the back of that performance.

“So he's worked his way back to full fitness and gets another opportunity.” 

Toulon head coach Pierre Mignoni has also rung the changes for this penultimate Pool 2 clash having rested virtually all his frontline players at La Rochelle.

There are 14 changes and one positional switch, 21-year-old rising star Mathis Ferte switching from full-back to wing, with France scrum-half Baptiste Serin, fly-half/full-back Melvyn Jaminet and former Munster centre Antoine Frisch among the injured absentees.

TOULON: Marius Domon, Gaël Drean, Nacho Brex, Jérémy Sinzelle, Mathis Ferte, Tomas Albornoz, Ben White; Jean-Baptiste Gros, Teddy Baubigny, Kyle Sinckler, Charles Ollivon (c), David Ribbans, Lewis Ludlam, Esteban Abadie, Zach Mercer.

Replacements: Jeremy Toevalu, Leo Ametlla, Dany Priso, Brian Alainu'uese, Corentin Mezou, Jules Coulon, Paolo Garbisi, Setariki Tuicuvu.

MUNSTER: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Ben O’Connor; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Michael Ala’alatoa; Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley; Tadhg Beirne (C), Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Michael Milne, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Brian Gleeson, Paddy Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, Dan Kelly.