Munster ‘A’ v Leinster ‘A’ Live On Access Munster

This is the Munster ‘A’ team’s second outing of the season after they came from 26 points down to earn a thrilling 26-all draw with their Leinster counterparts at Ollie Campbell Park in October.

21-year-old talent Evan O’Connell captains the Munstermen again from the second row, with their selected 25-man squad including nine senior and twelve Academy players.

Garryowen forwards Rory Woods and Billy Hayes are included among the replacements, along with Shannon’s Alex Lautsou and Young Munster scrum half John Poland, who is back in Munster colours after a number of seasons playing Stateside with the New England Free Jacks.

The value of the Energia All-Ireland League and the quality of the fare in Divisions 1A and 1B is evident, as 14 of the Munster ‘A’ players lined out for their club sides in the league last weekend.

Three of them, Shay McCarthy, Diarmuid Kilgallen, and Fionn Gibbons, will start together in the back-three tomorrow. The pacy McCarthy ran in a brace of tries against Leinster ‘A’ two months ago, helping to ignite their final-quarter comeback.

Seán O’Brien, who has been featuring for Nenagh Ormond in recent weeks, pairs up with Eoghan Smyth in the centre, and Tony Butler and Academy youngster Jake O’Riordan continue their half-back partnership.

O’Connell, Max Clein, and number 8 Luke Murphy are the only starting forwards retained, as Josh Wycherley, Ronan Foxe, the fit-again Michael Foy, who made his return recently in Cork Constitution colours, Seán Edogbo, and Ruadhán Quinn are all introduced.

The 21-year-old Edogbo slots in at blindside flanker, having touched down during UCC’s victory away to Naas last Saturday, and Foy will feature alongside skipper O’Connell in the engine room.

Both Wycherley and Quinn were involved as second-half replacements against Gloucester in Cork last week, with the latter scoring his first Investec Champions Cup try with 13 minutes remaining.

Danny Sheahan, George Hadden, and Kieran Ryan provide the front row back-up with former Ireland Sevens international Woods, Lautsou, who has been called up to the upcoming Ireland Under-19 camp, and Hayes completing the forward cover.

Also on the hosts’ bench in Tipperary will be current Ireland U-20 squad member Tom Wood, who joined Munster’s Academy as a teenager in the summer, and fellow backs Poland, Gene O’Leary Kareem, and Dylan Hicks.

MUNSTER ‘A’ (v Leinster ‘A’): Shay McCarthy (Young Munster); Diarmuid Kilgallen (Garryowen), Seán O’Brien (Nenagh Ormond), Eoghan Smyth (Cork Constitution), Fionn Gibbons (Young Munster); Tony Butler (Young Munster), Jake O’Riordan (Young Munster); Josh Wycherley (Young Munster), Max Clein (Garryowen), Ronan Foxe (Garryowen), Michael Foy (Cork Constitution), Evan O’Connell (Young Munster) (capt), Seán Edogbo (UCC), Ruadhán Quinn (Young Munster), Luke Murphy (Young Munster).

Replacements: Danny Sheahan (Cork Constitution), George Hadden (Garryowen), Kieran Ryan (Young Munster), Rory Woods (Garryowen), Alex Lautsou (Shannon), Billy Hayes (Garryowen), John Poland (Young Munster), Tom Wood (Garryowen), Gene O’Leary Kareem (UCC), Dylan Hicks (Cork Constitution).