Munster were left to count the cost of their gutsy 34-31 defeat to the Bulls in Pretoria. Five players have been ruled out of the province’s European Challenge Cup clash with Exeter at Sandy Park on Saturday (12.30pm).
Ben O’Donovan, the former Canterbury Crusaders academy scrumhalf, is set for his debut off the bench. O’Donovan has previously represented the New Zealand under-20s but is Irish-qualified. Captain Tadhg Beirne returns after being excused from the trip to South Africa because of a heavy workload with Ireland.
Three players – hooker Diarmuid Barron, number eight Brian Gleeson and wing Calvin Nash – suffered concussions and are ruled out as they follow return-to-play protocols. Secondrows Jean Kleyn (ankle) and Fineen Wycherley (knee) were also ruled out as head coach Clayton McMillan made 10 changes to the side pipped in Pretoria.
It leaves flanker Alex Kendellen as the only survivor in the pack. Centre Alex Nankivell is due to make his 50th appearance for the team, while fullback Ben O’Connor and halfbacks, Jack Crowley and Craig Casey, retain their respective positions behind the scrum. There is a 6-2 split on the bench with O’Donovan and Seán O’Brien covering the backline options.
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McMillan said he could have pushed Kleyn to play. However, he referenced having “some fresher bodies back home ready to play”. Beirne was among that group and is, according to the head coach, “probably the feature of the selection of the group this week”.
The New Zealander explained he was very happy with the squad’s reaction to what he described “as a punch in the face” – a reference to their 45-0 defeat to the Sharks the previous weekend. While it had been “a pretty sombre environment” for a few days in the aftermath, it also showed him how much the players care.
They assumed accountability for the substandard display and from that point, a resolve grew. The squad subsequently enjoyed a very positive training week, which led to the much-improved performance against the Bulls.
McMillan offered insight into 21-year-old scrumhalf O’Donovan, who signed for the province in February. “He’s got Irish ancestry, his grandparents live in Dublin,” said the Munster boss. “But he’s a guy who’s come through the system in New Zealand, a national under-20 rep.
“He’d been part of the Crusaders academy so anyone that comes through that route out of the Canterbury pathway programme, we know they’ll be well coached. He’s a different profile [of] player, a little bit bigger than your average halfback.
“He’s quite a solid bloke, likes to have a wee snipe around the edges, nice crisp pass. He’s a guy showing a lot of potential in other parts of the world and we’re excited to see what he can bring here.”
McMillan took time to speak about another Ben, fullback O’Connor, a try scorer against the Bulls and a young player who has delivered when selected. “He’s been really impressive in the opportunities he’s been given,” he said of O’Connor.
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“He’s a young guy, still technically in our academy, so [we] don’t feel like we need to overexpose him at this stage, particularly when we’ve got other good outside backs. He’s made the most of [his chances] and if he continues to go well, there’s no reason why he can’t get that consistency of selection at the back end of the season.”
Exeter lie fourth in the English Premiership having won eight and drawn one of 12 matches to date. The last time the two sides met at Sandy Park was in the Champions Cup in the 2023-2024 season and it took a 79th minute try for the home side to pull away to a 32-24 victory.
Rob Baxter’s side have been in a bit of a rebuilding phase since then. McMillan has been impressed with the rejuvenation. “I think they’re one of the best defensive [teams] in the Premiership. They give up about 17 points to a game on average which is really good.
“They have players [who can play that expansive game], particularly out wide, when they’re not challenging through the middle of the park, so I think they’ve got a good east-west game, a good north-south game. They can play the game in multiple ways, so [we face] lots of challenges across the park.
“Obviously playing at home [they’ll be tough to beat], and what we understand are going to be tricky conditions. It’s looking a little bit rainy and definitely windy, so we need to be at our best.”
The head coach says Munster are chasing silverware in all competitions. To that end, he insists they will be nothing less than fully committed to that pursuit this weekend.
Munster: B O’Connor; T Abrahams, T Farrell, A Nankivell, D Kilgallen; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, L Barron, J Ryan; E Edogbo, T Beirne (capt); J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, G Coombes. Replacements: N Scannell, M Milne, M Ala’alatoa, T Ahern, R Quinn, B O’Donovan, S O’Brien, J Hodnett.
