RUGBY:IRELAND ARE unlikely to have Jerry Flannery available for any of the remaining autumn internationals after Munster confirmed yesterday the 32-year-old hooker will not play for the province against the Wallabies next week.
Flannery suffered a relapse of his hamstring injury prior to last month’s Heineken Cup clash against Toulon and though he is expected to return to training over the coming days, he will play no part against Australia next Tuesday. Speaking from Limerick yesterday, team manager Shaun Payne said: “Jerry is doing very well, but we’re not going to be risking him at this stage, unless something remarkable happens in the interim.”
Any slim chance that Tomás O’Leary might be available for the final game of the series against Argentina was also dismissed with affirmation that the Cork-born scrumhalf is still three to four weeks away from full fitness. There was good news regarding Paul O’Connell, however, who seems likely to make his comeback against the Ospreys in mid-December having come through another full week of training without any problems.
Munster are firmly focused on next week’s arrival of the Wallabies, who play Leicester tonight in the first of their mid-week games.
Tony McGahan named a 30-man squad for the clash which includes new signing Peter Borlase, who arrives from Wellington on Thursday. Sam Tuitupou is also included having served his suspension while Barry Murphy is expected to make his first appearance of the season having scored another try for UL Bohemians at the weekend.
Tickets are still available for the clash and Payne is hopeful of a full house and an atmosphere similar to that of the All Blacks game two seasons ago. “It’s a unique spectacle,” he said. “I know from the players it’s something they are really looking forward to, and I hope the spectators will buy into that as well.”
MUNSTER SQUAD (v Australia): M Sherry, S Henry, W du Preez, P Borlase, D Ryan, S Archer, D Foley, I Nagle, B Hayes, B Holland, A Quinlan, N Ronan, J Coughlan, T ODonnell, P OMahony, P Butler, D Williams, P Warwick, C Murray, D Cusack, JJ Hanrahan, T Gleeson, B Murphy, S Tuitupou, I Dineen, D Howlett, S Zebo, S Scanlon, D Hurley, S Deasy.
AUSTRALIA (v Leicester Tigers): P Hynes; R Davies, P McCabe, A Faingaa, L Turner; B Barnes, L Burgess; J Slipper, H Edmonds, S Maafu; V Humphries, R Simmons; S Higginbotham, M Hodgson, R Brown. Replacements: S Faingaa, B Daley, D Mumm, P McCutcheon, N Phipps, M Giteau, L Morahan.
