Stalwarts can give Munster the edge

Celtic League/Dragons v Munster:  There is a familiar look to this Munster team even as coach Declan Kidney engages in some squad rotation, making 10 changes in all as he welcomes back several stalwarts from the physio's bench.

With Marcus Horan, Mick O'Driscoll and Anthony Foley all fit again, Kidney has slotted the trio straight into the front eight, O'Driscoll partnering Donncha Ryan in the secondrow and Foley moving to his customary post at the back of the scrum, with Denis Leamy and John O'Sullivan on the flanks.

Horan moves to loosehead in the frontrow. Andy Kyriacou is hooker and Shannon's Tony Buckley is at tighthead.

Foley injured a shoulder in the Heineken European Cup opener against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road in mid-October, while Horan tore a calf muscle at Lansdowne Road in November after coming in off the bench against Australia.

O'Driscoll missed out on the chance to captain the side against Connacht in early December when he went over on an ankle in training the week before that game.

Anthony Horgan is named on the wing, and his last action for Munster was in the Magners Celtic League game against Ospreys at Thomond Park on November 25th.

Jeremy Manning and Tomás O'Leary are chosen at halfback as Ronan O'Gara is rested and Peter Stringer recovers from a chest infection, while Ian Dowling occupies the other wing.

At fullback the injury-prone former All Black superstar Christian Cullen again makes a welcome start, having sat out the early part of the season before beginning Munster's last game, against Connacht.

It's a vastly changed line-up from last week's but again Kidney's side has a vein of steel running throughout, including the great Paul O'Connell waiting on the bench in case they require an injection of ferocity up front.

Recent victories over Leinster and Connacht have put an improved shine on Munster's Celtic League campaign and they travel to Rodney Parade having leapfrogged their hosts over the Christmas and moved to a respectable sixth place.

Despite a recent European Cup win over Cardiff Blues in Wales, however, Munster have lost in their last five league trips to the Principality and the Dragons will be looking for their sixth consecutive home win.

That said, Munster expect to win wherever they go and this match is no exception.

The last thing Kidney wants, having dragged his team from the bottom reaches of the table, is to start tumbling back down again, especially in the week before the European Cup resumes.

The Dragons, meanwhile, have confidently named an unchanged back line and make only two changes to the pack, flanker Colin Charvis coming in for Joe Bearman and Michael Owen named at number eight for Nic Fitisemanu, who is among the replacements.

It looks like Dragons hope to beef up their pack in expectation Munster, even without their front-liners, will be typically ferocious.

For the Welsh, there is little they have not seen before from this weakened but still formidable Munster outfit.

"Munster will be a massive challenge for us. They are current Heineken Cup champions, have started to push their way up the Magners League recently and are on course for qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup," said Dragons hooker Ben Daly. "They are a dogged side who possess the knack of knowing how to win games. They don't panic when they don't have the ball but are patient in the build-up. They have a resolute defence and put the phases together well."

Of course, Munster, often shorn of their galacticos, looked extraordinarily out of sorts early in this competition, and prior to the most recent wins over Leinster and Connacht they had won only four from nine games, their most recent defeat a 12-22 reverse to Cardiff in the Arms Park in early December.

It won't be at all easy but given the return of some hardened warriors and some cutting edge in the back line, Kidney may well take something out of this.

MUNSTER: C Cullen; A Horgan, B Murphy, L Mafi, I Dowling; J Manning, T Ó'Leary; M Horan, A Kyraicou, T Buckley; D Ryan, M O'Driscoll; J O'Sullivan, D Leamy, A Foley. Replacements: F Pucciariello, E McGovern, P O'Connell, J Coughlan, B O'Meara, E Hickie, T Halstead.

DRAGONS: K Morgan; G Wyatt, P Emerick, A Smith, N Brew; C Sweeney, G Cooper; A Black, B Daly, L Harrison; I Gough, L Charteris/P Sidoli; C Charvis, J Ringer, M Owen. Replacements: K Crawford, D Maddocks, A Hall, N Fitisemanu, G Chapman, M Hercus, A Walker.

Referee: Andy Macpherson (Scotland) .

Verdict: Munster to win.

The draw for the semi-finals of the European Cup will take place in London on Tuesday, January 23rd. The venue and precise time of the draw will be announced shortly.

Ulster rugby have confirmed all their 500 tickets for the round-six game in Pool Five against Toulouse at Stade Ernest Wallon on January 21st are sold.

Ulster lie second in the Pool but are eight points behind Llanelli Scarlets and retain only slim hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.