Alex Wootton, Jaco Taute and Darren O’Shea will make their first competitive starts for Munster who also have the fit-again Peter O’Mahony on the bench, as the province aim to keep their winning run going against Zebre.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, October 1
MUNSTER (5th) v ZEBRE (11th), Thomond Park, 5pm
Team News: Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has made a total of eight changes for Saturday evening’s GUINNESS PRO12 clash with Zebre at Thomond Park.
Long-term injury returnee Peter O’Mahony is named in his first Munster matchday squad since May of last year, with Springbok international Jaco Taute, Tommy O’Donnell and Simon Zebo also included.
In ringing the changes for the round 5 fixture, the Munster management hand lock Darren O’Shea and winger Alex Wootton their first competitive starts.
Following the successful rehabilitation of an ACL rupture sustained in Ireland’s historic Rugby World Cup win over France last October, O’Mahony will hope to see some game-time after being named among the replacements.
In terms of changes to the starting line-up, Zebo has overcome a rib injury while O’Donnell has now completed the return-to-play protocols for concussion and will start at full-back and openside flanker respectively.
Front rowers Duncan Casey and Stephen Archer make their first starts of the season with South African Taute to make his Munster debut from the start after being named at inside centre.
A late withdrawal from last weekend’s bonus point win over Edinburgh, Donnacha Ryan has recovered from illness to form a brand new second row partnership with O’Shea (pictured below). In doing so, Ryan will win his 150th Munster cap and is the first member of the current squad to reach the milestone.
With Wootton named on the left wing, the final change to the side is a positional one where captain Billy Holland switches to the back row.
In contract news, Munster have confirmed that former Leinster Academy player Steve Crosbie has signed a three-month development contract and will join the province at the start of October. The 23-year-old out-half made two PRO12 appearances during his time in the Leinster Academy and represented the Ireland Under-20s during the 2013 U-20 RBS 6 Nations and World U-20 Championship.
Tickets (adults €;20, family €;40 (two adults & two juniors), students €;7 and juniors €;7) can be purchased online here, at the Munster Rugby Ticket Offices in Irish Independent Park and Thomond Park, or at the ground on matchday.
Meanwhile, Zebre boss Gianluca Guidi has made five personnel changes to the side that was narrowly beaten (23-21) by the high-flying Cardiff Blues last week.
The only alteration in the backs sees centre Tommaso Castello swap with his international colleague Tommaso Boni, while Tommaso d’Apice and Dario Chistolini come into the front row to start alongside loosehead Andrea Lovotti.
Second row Gideon Koegelenberg and flanker Jacopo Sarto are the two other new additions up front, with Federico Ruzza moving to number 8. Azzurri lock Josh Furno, who signed from Newcastle Falcons during the summer, is poised to make his debut for Zebre as a replacement.
MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Darren Sweetnam, Keith Earls, Jaco Taute, Alex Wootton; Tyler Bleyendaal, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Duncan Casey, Stephen Archer, Donnacha Ryan, Darren O’Shea, Billy Holland (capt), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, James Cronin, John Ryan, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Oliver, Duncan Williams, Ian Keatley, Cian Bohane.
ZEBRE: Edoardo Padovani; Gabriele di Giulio, Giulio Bisegni, Tommaso Castello, Giovanbattista Venditti; Carlo Canna, Guglielmo Palazzani; Andrea Lovotti, Tommaso d’Apice, Dario Chistolini, Quintin Geldenhuys (capt), Gideon Koegelenberg, Jacopo Sarto, Johan Meyer, Federico Ruzza.
Replacements: Carlo Festuccia, Bruno Postiglioni, Guillermo Roan, Josh Furno, Derick Minnie, Carlo Engelbrecht, Tommaso Boni, Lloyd Greeff.
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Dermot Blake (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Munster to win: 1/80; Draw: 70/1; Zebre to win: 25/1
Pre-Match Quotes: James Cronin (Munster) – “(The scrum) is something that we worked on as a unit over the summer and we’re getting the fruits of our labour now. We have scrummed well since pre-season and hopefully that will continue.
“We let ourselves down in the scrum last season. Our props were not young, but youngish, and losing the experience of the likes of BJ Botha and Damien Varley was huge. We were in limbo a little but we learnt a lot from last season and we have now stood up, taken the bull by the horns and driven our own standards.
“We know from the last couple of years that Zebre are a big physical side and when it comes to the scrum and the maul they have very few small fellas playing for them.
“Two weeks ago they had Connacht on the racks only for a thunderstorm and last week they lost to Cardiff by just two points, so that tells you just how dangerous they can be. They are playing Champions Cup this year and are a side on the up so we’ll have to be ready for them on Saturday.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12: Munster – Points: Tyler Bleyendaal 28; Tries: Conor Murray 2; Zebre – Points: Carlo Canna 9; Tries: Guglielmo Palazzani, Giovanbattista Venditti, Giulio Bisegni, Tommaso d’Apice 1 each
2016/17 TEAM FORM: Munster – Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1, 14 Points; W 23-13 v Scarlets (away), L 24-23 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 20-16 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), W 28-14 v Edinburgh (home); Zebre – Played 3, Lost 3, 2 Points; L 59-5 v Ospreys (away), L 11-6 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), L 23-21 v Cardiff Blues (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, September 13, 2013 – Zebre 21 Munster 43, Stadio XXV Aprile
Saturday, February 15, 2014 – Munster 36 Zebre 8, Musgrave Park
Friday, September 19, 2014 – Munster 31 Zebre 5, Thomond Park
Saturday, January 10, 2015 – Zebre 7 Munster 31, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Saturday, January 30, 2016 – Zebre 12 Munster 16, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Friday, March 25, 2016 – Munster 47 Zebre 0, Thomond Park
MATCH FACTS:
– Munster’s only defeat in their last six GUINNESS PRO12 encounters was 24-23 in Cork to Cardiff Blues in round 2
– The Munstermen have won their last five matches at Thomond Park in all competitions since Leinster beat them there in the PRO12 on December 27
– Zebre picked up their second league point of the season during their 23-21 loss to Cardiff Blues in Parma last Saturday
– The Italians have not been victorious away from home in the league since they visited Treviso on January 3, while they have failed to score a single point in each of their last three visits to an Irish province
– Munster have won all eight previous contests with Zebre, while the Italians’ three previous visits to Limerick have seen them score just one try and concede 16
– Dan Jones becomes the 107th different referee to take charge of a PRO12 match. Last weekend he was in Lublin, Poland, refereeing that country’s 22-0 victory over Ukraine in the Rugby Europe Trophy
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