Munster wheel out the heavy artillery

RUGBY NEWS:CAST YOUR eyes over this group and weep might have been the thoughts of Munster coach Tony McGahan as he released a Munster squad replete with the heavy artillery. Familiar names but a wow factor all the same. It may have been all terribly predictable but Leinster, who will select a squad today, will have to agree that Munster have a pretty nuggety team of characters for them to face in Limerick for their Magners League match at the weekend.

The Grand Slam winning starting frontrow, Marcus Horan, Jerry Flannery and John Hayes and the Grand Slam winning secondrow Paul O’Connell and Donncha O’Callaghan, are included as well as Denis Leamy, David Wallace, Ronan O’Gara, Tomás O’Leary and Peter Stringer.

There is also Keith Earls, who has been under the radar for the past two international-dominated months but a player many Munster fans doubtlessly believe should have been part of celebrations in the Millennium Stadium, while the Stringer-O’Leary scrum-half saga is set to continue for the starting team.

In all, Munster have served up 26 names for their Thomond Park meeting with the boys from Donnybrook, with Rua Tipoki one of the notable names still missing. Munster had hoped to announce Tipoki might also be back in harness but he has not recovered from injury.

With all of their Grand Slam players back, Munster clearly have a strong enough squad available for Magners League but they must be assuming too there is more than one more round of the Heineken Cup in their season.

Tipoki, the perfect foil for Lifeimi Mafi in the centre, will be hoping to have his say in the knock-out stages of the European competition.

Ian Dowling has been included following a healthy run out at squad training in brilliant sunshine yesterday in the University of Limerick grounds. The former rugby league and Ireland A international will be hoping for a bench place, with former All Black Doug Howlett likely to fill a wing position on the other side.

Munster have won their last six games in all competitions, their last defeat being to Ulster in Thomond Park back in January – on a disfiguring 11-37 scoreline. From the Leinster viewpoint their meeting with the Heineken Cup champions last September was 0-18 against, after tries from Howlett and Justin Melck, and the kicking courtesy of O’Gara.

But Leinster, who select their squad tomorrow and like Munster, are expected to have their Grand Slam players available, have put together a seven-game winning streak. Glasgow, who Munster defeated last weekend in Firhill, are the last Magners team to beat Leinster, back in October.

Still, the Leinster rap sheet travelling to Thomond Park is a long one and although the province won 10-3 at Musgrave Park on their last visit to Munster in 2007, they have not won in Limerick since a 24-18 win at Dooradoyle during the interprovincial championship in 1998.

Connacht entertain the Dragons this week in their traditional early evening (6.30) slot at the Sportsground. Having lost to the men from the West at home and abroad last season the Dragons should approach them with a little more caution. With one eye on the European Challenge Cup quarter-final against Northampton the following week, Connacht can look forward to a few tough matches.

With only two home games left, including Friday night’s encounter, Connacht’s season could hinge on the Challenge Cup, their last chance to qualify for the Heineken Cup. They sit at the bottom of the Magners League table on 14 points, with the nearest Irish team, Ulster, on 26 points.

Few would argue that winning the trophy is a long shot, although, if their visit to Northampton next week returned a win, it could be anybody’s trophy.

But Connacht has also been looking at how they might improve over the next fortnight and Ireland’s defensive coach Les Kiss worked with the squad on Monday for a session.

Kiss put coach Michael Bradley’s side through some defensive drills, many of which the Ireland squad used throughout their successful Six Nations campaign.

MUNSTER(squad): M Horan, F Pucciarello, J Flannery, D Fogarty, J Hayes, T Buckley, P O'Connell, D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll, A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Ryan, D Wallace, D Leamy, T O'Leary, P Stringer, R O'Gara, P Warwick, J Manning, L Mafi, B Murphy, K earls, K Lewis, D Howlett, I Dowling, D Hurley