Unfortunate injury leaves Healy sidelined

Rugby team news:Irish loosehead prop Cian Healy failed to pass a fitness test and will miss out on Leinster's opening game in defence of their Heineken Cup title.

Healy injured a glute muscle in training and the management have decided to err on the side of caution and withdraw him from the opening game against Montpellier Herault tomorrow in Stade de la Mosson (KO 1.30pm Irish time).

As a result of Healy’s injury Heinke van der Merwe is set to make his 40th appearance for Leinster and he starts in the front row alongside hooker Richardt Strauss and Irish tighthead, Mike Ross.

Irish World Cup hooker, Sean Cronin is the replacement with Jack McGrath promoted to the bench as further frontrow cover.

In all, the Springbok prop, van der Merwe, is one of three changes to the pack that started last weekend’s 24-19 victory over Munster with former Brive lock Damian Browne coming into the second row for his seventh Leinster appearance of the season. Devin Toner starts on the bench as the replacement lock.

Kevin McLaughlin, a substitute in the Aviva Stadium last weekend, makes his 14th Heineken Cup appearance and joins fellow Ireland internationals Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien in the back row.

McLaughlin comes in for Shane Jennings, who started in the backrow last week against Munster with O’Brien and Heaslip.

The backline is unchanged which means that Jonathan Sexton - who amassed 138 points in last year’s European campaign - lines up alongside Isaac Boss at half back. Gordon D’Arcy partners Fergus McFadden at centre as Brian O’Driscoll is a long term injury, with Luke Fitzgerald joining Rob Kearney and Isa Nacewa in the back three.

Shane Jennings is one of four Ireland internationals on the bench alongside Sean Cronin, Eoin Reddan and Devin Toner.

In the wake of the defeat to Leinster, Munster coach Tony McGahan has left some established names on the bench for the visit of Heineken Cup finalists Northampton to Thomond Park tomorrow (KO 6pm).

McGahan has left both international secondrow Donncha O’Callaghan and backrow Denis Leamy on the bench in favour of Peter O'Mahony and James Coughlan. O'Callaghan gives way to Donnacha Ryan who moves up from the blindside flank he occupied against Leinster to partner Paul O'Connell in the second row with O’Mahony and Coughlan in the backrow.

Munster Rugby Academy graduates, Danny Barnes, Irish scrumhalf, Conor Murray and O'Mahony, will make their Heineken Cup debut starts.

In all coach Tony McGahan has made five changes to the Munster side that were beaten by Leinster. Two of those changes come in the backline and three up front.

Denis Hurley comes onto the wing in place of the injured Keith Earls (knee), who hobbled out of the game last week with knee ligament damage, while Barnes, a second minute replacement for Earls, retains the outside centre jersey ahead of Will Chambers, who is named on the bench.

In addition 23 year old Cork Constitution prop John Ryan, who featured in ‘Con’s Ulster Bank League game last weekend against Clontarf, comes onto the bench in place of the injured Marcus Horan (ankle).

In Ulster Brian McLaughlin has named an unchanged team for their opening Heineken Cup Pool 4 match against French giants ASM Clermont Auvergne tomorrow (KO 3.40pm).

Captain Johann Muller and Ireland players Tom Court and Stephen Ferris have

shaken off injuries picked up during last week’s 22-3 win over Connacht.

There are two changes among the replacements with only Declan Fitzpatrick returning from injury in place of Adam Macklin and Willie Faloon coming in for Robbie Diack.

New signing John Afoa will make his European debut, just a week after making his first appearance for Ulster. The World Cup winning prop is surrounded by experience up front, with all eight forwards players having been capped at international level.

With Ruan Pienaar injured, Paul Marshall will again be handed the scrumhalf jersey and is partnered at half back by Ian Humphreys. Paddy Wallace and Darren Cave form the centre combination, while Simon Danielli will continue in the relatively unfamiliar fullback role.

Clermont have made good progress in the Top 14 despite having 12 players on World Cup duty in New Zealand. They currently trail Toulouse by just one point after 10 rounds.

McLaughlin is delighted to have Muller, Court and Ferris available to him facing into what could be the toughest home match of the entire campaign.

“To have the three guys available is a brilliant boost for us. You need your key players on the pitch. We have some people in the squad who are understandably disappointed at missing out, but it shows the quality we have assembled. Continuity is very important and it gives us momentum going into what is a massive game for us,” McLaughlin.

“Clermont are an exceptional side. They’ve proved that with their results in the Top 14. We are going to focus on us, cut out the errors and try to be a bit more clinical when opportunities arise.”

Ulster knows that in European competition it is almost a pre-requisite to win the home games.

Hooker Rory Best added: “I think people underestimate how much the crowd can lift the players during matches. They really are like a 16th man for us."

Ulster:S Danielli; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, P Marshall; T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (C), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements - A Kyriacou, P McAllister, D Fitzpatrick, L Stevenson, W Faloon, I Porter, N Spence, A D'Arcy

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

Leinster:R Kearney; I Nacewa, F McFadden, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; J Sexton, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, M Ross, L Cullen ©, D Browne, K McLaughlin, S O'Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements-S Cronin, J McGrath, N White, D Toner, S Jennings, E Reddan, I Madigan, E O'Malley.