Leinster v Munster - Preview

Jonathan Sexton returns in one of nine Leinster changes for the Pro12 derby against Munster.

Zane Kirchner, Dave Kearney, Eoin Reddan, Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Devin Toner, Jordi Murphy and Jamie Heaslip also come in for the hosts.

Second-placed Leinster are seven points clear of Irish rivals Munster, who make five changes.

Conor Murray, Francis Saili and Andrew Conway return, along with James Cronin and CJ Stander, who is named captain.

Murray partners Johnny Holland at half-back, with Saili overcoming a bang to the shoulder to resume his midfield partnership with Rory Scannell.

As a result, Keith Earls makes a positional switch to the wing and joins Conway and full-back Simon Zebo in the back three.

Munster are boosted by the return of Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray for the Aviva Stadium derby

Munster have Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray back for the Aviva Stadium derby

Cronin will start alongside Niall Scannell and Stephen Archer in the front row, with Stander coming in to join Dave O'Callaghan and Tommy O'Donnell in the back row.

With Kirchner returning at full-back, Leinster captain Isa Nacewa moves to the right wing with Kearney also back in the equation on the left wing.

There are two new half backs in Reddan and Sexton - back in the Leinster side for the first time since the defeat by Wasps in January - while five changes in the pack include two in the front row, with McGrath and Cronin starting alongside Tadhg Furlong.

Toner returns to partner Hayden Triggs in the second row, while in the back row Rhys Ruddock is again selected - but moves from number eight to blindside flanker.

Murphy comes in at open-side while Heaslip completes the pack at number eight.

Leinster

Zane Kirchner; Isa Nacewa (capt), Garry Ringrose, Ben Te'o, Dave Kearney; Johnny Sexton, Eoin Reddan; Jack McGrath, Sean Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, Hayden Triggs, Rhys Ruddock, Jordi Murphy, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Cian Healy, Mike Ross, Ross Molony, Josh van der Flier, Luke McGrath, Ian Madigan, Fergus McFadden.

Munster

Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Francis Saili, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Johnny Holland, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Donnacha Ryan, Billy Holland; Dave O'Callaghan, Tommy O'Donnell, CJ Stander (capt).

Replacements: Mike Sherry, Dave Kilcoyne, John Ryan, Robin Copeland, Jack O'Donoghue, Tomás O'Leary, Ian Keatley, Darren Sweetnam.

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Tommy O'Donnell Returns for Ireland

Tommy O'Donnell has been named in Ireland's starting 15 for Saturday's final Six Nations clash with Scotland.

He comes in at number seven ahead of Josh van Der Flier. Otherwise, it's the same side who comprehensively beat Italy last weekend.

"Josh has shipped a couple of knocks in the last two games, he took another knock on Monday. It's been an attritional few weeks for Josh, with big 80 mins back to back. He's fit to play, but carrying a few knocks," said Schmidt.

"Conversely, Tommy has trained very well. He hasn't had the luckiest of preparations in previous times. We're looking forward to him contributing with an athletic performance.

"Josh has involved himself a lot, contact work has been high and we felt it was pertinent to give him a rest.

"We've tried to balance continuity with opportunity during this Six Nations and we're hoping it might bear a bit of fruit down the line."

Rory Best proved his fitness at Ireland’s training session and he will link up with Jack McGrath and Mike Ross in the front-row, with Donnacha Ryan and Devin Toner in the engine room and CJ Stander, O'Donnell and Jamie Heaslip in the back-row.

Conor Murray will partner Johnny Sexton as Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne link up in midfield and Keith Earls, Andrew Trimble and Simon Zebo continue in the back three.

The head coach is intent on building as many combinations as possible ahead of the three Test summer tour of South Africa as his side look to maintain their place on the World Rugby rankings table at the end of the competition.

Defeat could have major implications on Ireland’s prospects for the 2019 World Cup, with no decision yet taken on whether the draw will be made at the end of this year.

Schmidt’s side are currently ranked seventh, but with three games against South Africa, two against New Zealand and one each against and Australia to come in 2016, their ranking could take a battering, but victory over ninth-ranked Scotland would give them some breathing space in their bid to remain in the top-eight teams.

Ireland

S Zebo (Munster), A Trimble, J Payne (both Ulster), R Henshaw (Connacht), K Earls (Munster), J Sexton (Leinster), C Murray (Munster); J McGrath (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), M Ross (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), D Toner (Leinster), CJ Stander (Ulster), T O'Donnell (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster).

Replacements: R Strauss, C Healy (both Leinster), N White, U Dillane (both Connacht), R Ruddock, E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden (all Leinster).

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Murray Will Be Ready for Italian Job

Conor Murray is “lucky” to be fit for Ireland’s Six Nations match against Italy in Dublin, according to the assistant coach Richie Murphy.

Murray received eight stitches around his eye after being kicked in the face accidentally by full-back Mike Brown in Ireland’s 21-10 defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Murray sat out training on Tuesday but is expected to face Italy on Saturday week after escaping serious injury in the Twickenham loss. Brown avoided censure after being deemed to have legitimately attempted to kick the ball clear at the ruck when catching Murray in the face, with the scrum-half on the ground after a tackle.

“Conor’s got a split next to his eye, he’s had eight stitches but he’s grand,” said Murphy. “He didn’t train today, we’re just looking after him a little bit.

“He’s obviously a little bit bumped up, he got a bit of treatment in that game, so it’s a case of looking after him. He was lucky obviously it was just in the corner of the eye, but he’s fine and he’ll be ready for next week.”

Jared Payne should be fit for the visit of Italy, with the Ulster centre closing in on a return after hamstring trouble. The 30-year-old missed Ireland’s defeat at Twickenham after damaging his hamstring in the 10-9 loss to France, but is now on course to face the Italians.

“Jared Payne did a full session today, not with the team but with the fitness guys and the medics,” said Murphy, confirming Ireland have no further fresh injury concerns. “He came through that fine and it looks like he’ll be fully fit to start next week.”

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Citing Commissioner Clears Brown

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Mike Brown has escaped being cited for kicking Conor Murray in the Six Nations victory over Ireland.

Brown had protested his innocence after making contact with the Ireland scrum-half’s head while trying to kick the ball free during Saturday’s 21-10 win, tweeting: “Video ref clearly showed I didn’t [do anything wrong] and kicked the ball.” 

The referee Romain Poite judged the contact was accidental, though Murray required stitches for a head wound. The citing commissioner agreed.

The Ireland coach, Joe Schmidt, absolved the full-back of blame: “I know Mike Brown wouldn’t have done it on purpose, he was trying to connect with the ball, but it’s not something for us to influence whether he was culpable for being reckless or whatever.”

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Schmidt Ireland Selection Decided

Joe Schmidt has admitted his latest ever Ireland team selection has proved “unsettling and frustrating” after Simon Zebo failed a last-ditch fitness test before Saturday’s match against France.

Fergus McFadden has been drafted on to Ireland’s bench for the Six Nations encounter in Paris, with Zebo unable to shake off knee trouble and Keith Earls still recovering from suspected concussion.

Schmidt took what, for him, has been the unprecedented step of delaying his team announcement until after Ireland’s final training session on home soil before flying out to France.

The wing McFadden was omitted from Ireland’s initial Six Nations squad, but has now been pressed into service despite initially being selected for Leinster’s Pro12 encounter with Zebre on Friday night.

“That’s the latest selection and change we’ve had to make,” said Schmidt. “Normally we would name the match squad before training, and everyone would be fully fit and have absolute clarity on what their role was and where they were training. It’s probably a bit unsettling and frustrating, but we have to get around it.”

Ireland opened their Six Nations campaign with a bruising 16-16 draw with Wales in Dublin on Sunday. Schmidt lamented the realities of the short break between facing Warren Gatland’s Wales and Guy Noves’ France, while also counting hefty injury collateral.

Johnny Sexton and Andrew Trimble have won their own fitness battles to face Les Bleus, with Sean O’Brien and Rob Kearney fit again too. Fly-half Sexton has brushed off a heavy blow to his neck, with Trimble recovering from a shoulder issue and O’Brien and Kearney now past hamstring problems.

Schmidt felt Ireland had little option but to delay their selection while sweating on Zebo and Earls, only for both wingers to fail in their fitness bids.

“We were just trying to clarify the fitness of Simon Zebo and Keith Earls, both of whom we have left out of the squad,” said Schmidt. “One of the reasons it took a while was that they got through training but at the same time we just felt they weren’t 100% fit and it was a risk.

“There’s nothing worse than having someone replaced early in the game who wasn’t potentially fully fit. And having someone come off the bench who isn’t fully fit isn’t probably the best thing to do when you’re going to Paris.

“Simon Zebo was just a little bit sore and couldn’t stretch out his knee fully. Keith Earls will probably complete the last step of his HIA [head injury assessment] tomorrow, but we have to name a team today.

“It’s one of those things with a six-day turnaround, particularly when you’re travelling. If we had another day at home we could hedge our bets a little bit, but we have to get on a plane at 3.15 this afternoon, and we’ve got to take the players who are available to play.”

Sexton insisted he is raring to go despite trudging off in the final throes of the Wales match. Schmidt’s men are chasing a second successive victory in France for the first time since 1927; Sexton is adamant that statistic outweighs the fact that Ireland have not lost to France since 2011.

France have spent their last three clashes with Ireland heaping the pressure on Sexton, and the Leinster playmaker expects another physical examination with Jonathan Danty in midfield.

“I’m OK now, I just got a bang on top of the head and it just compressed my neck a little bit,” said Sexton. “But I’m fit to go and really looking forward to it.

“I’ll be fine – I probably felt the way front-rowers feel every day, but as a soft out-half I just didn’t hide it as well. We’ve only had one chance to see France under their new management, but some of the new individuals they’ve thrown in have impressed. They’ve got dangerous guys across the backline.

“I’ve played against Danty a few times when I was in Paris, and he’s pretty similar to Mathieu Bastareaud in stature. He’s got a lot of ball-playing abilities and speed to add to that too though.

“But we’ve prepared really well for it, we’ve tried to give them the respect they deserve. I don’t think you can ever go to Paris confident. They are never beaten over there, it’s a tough place to go. Just because we’ve had a little purple patch against them doesn’t mean anything now.”

Ireland 

R Kearney (Leinster); A Trimble, J Payne (both Ulster), R Henshaw (Connacht), D Kearney; J Sexton (both Leinster), C Murray (Munster); J McGrath (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), N White (Connacht), M McCarthy, D Toner (both Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), S O’Brien, J Heaslip (both Leinster).

Replacements R Strauss (Leinster), J Cronin (Munster), T Furlong (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), T O’Donnell (Munster), E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden (all Leinster).

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Toulon v Munster - Preview

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Jonny Wilkinson will be fit to captain Toulon in their Heineken Cup semi-final against Munster in Marseille on Sunday.

Wilkinson has recovered from a hamstring problem, while winger Bryan Habana (thigh) is also fit.

Munster, in a record 11th Heineken Cup semi, will be without second-row Donnacha Ryan, who has a foot injury.

Sean Dougall joins CJ Stander and James Coughlan in the back row, while hooker Damien Varley captains the side.

JJ Hanrahan returns from a groin injury to be named amongst the replacements, while Casey Laulala's recovery from a broken hand means that Rob Penney names not only the same front five from the quarter-final win over Toulouse, but also the same backline.

Varley leads the side in the absence of injured skipper Peter O'Mahony, with Ireland captain Paul O'Connell left to concentrate on coping with the defending champions' giant pack, in which ex-All Blacks prop Carl Hayman starts at tight-head with Italy's Martin Castrogiovanni on the bench.

A powerful, all-international backline also includes former Wallabies Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell, and France centre Mathieu Bastareaud.

Munster have twice lifted the Heineken Cup and victory in the south of France would put them through to a fifth final in Cardiff on 24 May.

"The tradition and history is there and it's what the club is renowned for," said centre James Downey.

"The players come into the club knowing that and every foreigner that comes over, that's how they know about Munster, from the Heineken Cup."

Toulon lifted the trophy for the first time in Dublin last season and saw off Munster's Irish counterparts Leinster in the quarter-finals but, despite their recent success, coach Bernard Laporte was forced to reiterate his side's commitment to Europe's top club competition.

"Everybody's very serious and very focused," he said. "Every single player wants to play - there are no small injuries anymore. For a coach, it's just happiness. I love it. The guys are so into the game. Before I even speak, they are already listening."

Toulon: 15. Delon Armitage; 14. Drew Mitchell, 13. Mathieu Bastareaud, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Bryan Habana; 10. Jonny Wilkinson (c), 9. Sebastien Tillous-Borde; 1. Xavier Chiocci, 2. Craig Burden, 3. Carl Hayman, 4. Danie Rossouw, 5. Jocelino Suta, 6. Juan Smith, 7. Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 8. Steffon Armitage.

Replacements: 16. Jean-Charles Orioli, 17. Alexandre Menini, 18. Martin Castrogiovanni, 19. Virgile Bruni, 20. David Smith, 21. Maxime Mermoz, 22. Michael Claassens, 23. Konstantine Mikautadze.

Munster: 15. Felix Jones; 14. Keith Earls, 13. Casey Laulala, 12. James Downey, 11. Simon Zebo; 10. Ian Keatley, 9. Conor Murray; 1. Dave Kilcoyne, 2. Damien Varley (c), 3. BJ Botha, 4. Dave Foley, 5. Paul O'Connell, 6. CJ Stander, 7. Sean Dougall, 8. James Coughlan.

Replacements: 16. Duncan Casey, 17. James Cronin, 18. John Ryan, 19. Donncha O'Callaghan, 20. Tommy O'Donnell, 21. Duncan Williams, 22. JJ Hanrahan, 23. Denis Hurley.

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Munster v Toulouse - Preview

Munster have been boosted by the return of captain Peter O'Mahony for Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Toulouse at Thomond Park.

The flanker has recovered from a hamstring injury and replaces CJ Stander while James Downey is back at centre in the only other change.

A foot injury rules out lock Donnacha Ryan, who missed Ireland's Six Nations campaign because of a knee problem.

Louis Picamoles has been declared fit to start at number eight for Toulouse.

But former All Black Luke McAlister, another injury doubt, has been named among the replacements, along with France flanker Yannic Nyanga, while Thierry Dustautoir remains absent after missing the Six Nations because of a biceps injury.

O'Mahony was named in the squad to face Leinster in last weekend's Pro 12 defeat in Dublin but was a last minute withdrawal because of a hamstring twinge.

After successfully following a modified training schedule this week, the talismanic back-rower is included in Rob Penney's starting XV.

John Ryan takes the place of James Cronin, who is sidelined with an ankle sprain, on the replacements bench.

Alan Cotter and Gerhard van den Heeverare are both named in their first match-day Heineken Cup squad.

Dave Foley is selected ahead of Donncha O'Callaghan to join Paul O'Connell in the second row.

O'Connell believes the four-times competition winners will not be intimidated by the renowned Thomond Park atmosphere in Saturday's game.

It will be the first time the French giants have played at the Limerick venue.

"It's amazing that it's the first time they've come here but they've been to plenty of hostile grounds in the past so I don't think it will be a big deal for them," added the Ireland captain.

O'Connell says the Irish province will be facing a "mammoth task" against Guy Noves's team.

Munster: F Jones; K Earls, C Laulala, J Downey, S Zebo, I Keatley, C Murray, D Kilcoyne, D Varley, BJ Botha, D Foley, P O'Connell, P O'Mahony (capt), T O'Donnell, J Coughlan.

Replacements: D Casey, J Ryan, A Cotter, D O'Callaghan, CJ Stander, D Williams, JJ Hanrahan, G van den Heever.

Toulouse: M Médard; Y Huget, F Fritz, G Fickou, H Gear; L Beauxis, J Vermaak; G Steenkamp, C Tolofua, Y Montes, Y Maestri, P Albacete (c), Y Camara, J Tekori, L Picamoles

Replacements: J Bregvadze, C Baille, S Ferreira, R Millo-Chluski, G Galan, J-M Doussain, L McAlister, Y Nyanga.

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