Liberty landmark for Horan

Rugby: The high esteem in which young Munster backrow Peter O'Mahony is held was evident today when he retained the captaincy for a game in which Marcus Horan makes his 200th appearance.

The 22-year-old will continue to lead the team when they march out at the Liberty Stadium to face the Ospreys tomorrow (6.30pm), despite sharing a pitch with the veteran prop Donncha O’Callaghan, Denis Leamy, Tomás O’Leary and Doug Howlett.

He’s had thundering start to the season, playing 10 games and scoring a try against Castres in the Heineken Cup, since Tony McGahan backed him with the armband early in the season when the Ireland internationals were in New Zealand.

O’Mahony was 10 when Horan made his debut for the province. The veteran is still going strong and is one of only two forwards retained from last week’s win over Edinburgh.

Donncha O’Callaghan is the other after Tony McGahan opted to keep Paul O’Connell in reserve, alongside James Coughlan, even though both missed the 34-17 win on Saturday.

O’Callaghan will be joined in the secondrow by Donnacha Ryan, while Horan has Damien Varley and BJ Botha for company in the frontrow.

Leamy and Niall Ronan join O’Mahony in the backrow.

Ian Keatley will operate alongside scrumhalf O’Leary, while Danny Barnes and Will Champers form the central paring with Denis Hurley at fullback.

Looking ahead to the game, Ryan said: “They're always a tough side to take on, no matter where you play them but in their own back yard, more so. And I dont think it matters what side they put out, they'll still play the same brand of rugby - physical when they want to be and expansive when they can.

"So I think we need to match them up front, take them on there and see where that gets us."

Ospreys scrumhalf Rhys Webb is free to play after escaping sanction for a breach of law 10.4(o) - intentionally charging or obstructing an opponent who has just kicked the ball - against Connacht.

The disciplinary committee found he had acted illegally but that, "on the balance of probabilities, the offence would not have merited a red card and accordingly no suspension was issued."

Ospreys: B Davies; T Bowe, A Bishop, A Beck, R Fussell; M Morgan, R Webb; D Jones, R Hibbard, A Jarvis; I Gough, J Thomas; T Smith (Capt), J King, J Bearman. Replacements: M Davies, C Griffiths, J Rees, G Stowers, S Lewis, T Isaacs, S Parker, H Dirksen

Munster: D Hurley; D Howlett, W Chambers, D Barnes, S Zebo; I Keatley, T O'Leary; M Horan, D Varley, BJ Botha; D O'Callaghan, D Ryan; D Leamy, N Ronan, P O'Mahony (capt). Replacements: D Fogarty, W du Preez, S Archer, P O'Connell, J Coughlan, C Murray, R O'Gara, J Murphy.