Munster Much Changed For Dragons Game

Only three of the players who started against Leinster last weekend remain in the Munster starting line-up for the RaboDirect PRO12 trip to Rodney Parade on Friday (kick-off 7pm).

The trio are Denis Hurley, Ian Keatley and Damien Varley who are included in a side comprised mostly of players that lined out in the British & Irish Cup quarter-final win over Cornish Pirates a fortnight ago.

With their interest in the RaboDirect PRO12 understandably superceded by involvement in the Heineken Cup semi-final, the province’s head coach Rob Penney has rested most of his frontliners.

Academy player Ronan O’Mahony will make his league debut on Friday night, while his Academy colleague Cian Bohane, named among the replacements, is also in line for his first Munster senior cap.

Marcus Horan, Munster’s most-capped forward who recently confirmed he will retire at the end of the season, is included on the bench.

MUNSTER (v Newport Gwent Dragons): Denis Hurley; Ronan O’Mahony, Ivan Dineen, JJ Hanrahan, Johne Murphy; Ian Keatley, Cathal Sheridan; Wian du Preez, Damien Varley, Stephen Archer, David Foley, Billy Holland, David O’Callaghan, Niall Ronan, Paddy Butler.

Replacements: Sean Henry, Marcus Horan, John Ryan, Ian Nagle, CJ Stander, Duncan Williams, Cian Bohane, Danny Barnes.