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Munster's injured list grows

Alan Gaffney must have hoped lady luck would be more accommodating in 2003 than she had been in the previous 12 months, particularly…

Thu Jan 02 2003 - 00:00

Alan Gaffney must have hoped lady luck would be more accommodating in 2003 than she had been in the previous 12 months, particularly in regard to injuries. John O'Sullivan reports

If the Munster coach was hoping for a respite then he will have been disappointed at the events of last Sunday.

In the All-Ireland League Division One match between Garryowen and Galwegians played on a questionable surface at Dooradoyle, Gaffney lost two more players, prop Simon Kerr and full back Dominic Crotty. Kerr badly damaged an ankle and is likely to be out for six weeks at least, thereby missing Munster's final two games in the Heineken European Cup as well as tomorrow night's Celtic League semi-final against Ulster at Thomond Park.

Crotty re-broke the hand that kept him sidelined for a month at the end of last year, sustaining the damage in the same spot. While neither player would have been considered first choice this season, there have been valuable impact players.

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Martin Cahill will replace Kerr on the bench while Killian Keane, subject to a fitness test on his back, and Mossie Lawlor joins scrumhalf Mike Prendergast as backs replacements. Gaffney has yet to decide who joins James Blaney and Cahill on the bench as forwards cover, preferring to decide on the day as to who among Mick O'Driscoll, Mick Galwey, Denis Leamy and Eddie Halvey will fill the final two slots.

Ulster coach Alan Solomons also has his fair share of injury concerns. He is without his first-choice centre pairing of Ryan Constable and Jonathan Bell as well as long-term injury victim Tyrone Howe. Captain Andy Ward is nursing a slight heel problem and so he drops to the bench with Tony McWhirter coming in at number eight, one of five changes to the team that started against Biarritz.

David Humphreys takes over the captaincy. Sheldon Coulter is preferred to Scott Young on the left wing, a fit again Shane Stewart and Adam Larkin form a new midfield combination, while the backrow trio will be Warren Brosnihan, McWhirter and promising openside Neil McMillan. Young is on the bench. Solomons explained his decision to start New Zealand-born flanker Ward on the bench.

"We have a substitute who can make a vital impact on the game. Andy Ward is a terrific rugby player and there is no doubt that if he gets on in the semi-final he will make an impact on the game."

Given the time of year Solomons added: "My New Year's resolution is to beat Munster."

While Munster and Ulster are locked in serious combat Connacht will entertain Leinster in a glorified friendly at Ericsson Park. The match has a 5.30 p.m. kick-off as that is the time of Connacht's Challenge Cup quarter-final first leg against Pontypridd the following weekend.

Leinster are likely to start the same team that began the Heineken Cup game against Montferrand at Donnybrook, although Gordon D'Arcy is back in full-time training following his back injury. Both teams will probably play their first-choice XVs for about 60 minutes.

Connacht coach Steph Nel has minor injury concerns with regard to Marnus Uijs, Jerry Flannery, John O'Sullivan, Darren Yapp and Paul Neville.

Leinster were due to hold an open training session this weekend for the young, and not so young, supporters to get autographs and pose with the players but because of the Connacht match, this has been postponed until the weekend of January 25th-26th.

There is one All-Ireland League Division One match this weekend between UL Bohemian and Buccaneers and a full programme in Divisions Two and Three.

ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, S Stewart, A Larkin, S Coulter; D Humphreys (capt), N Doak; J Fitzpatrick, M Sexton, R Kempson; G Longwell, J Davidson; W Brosnihan, T McWhirter, N McMillan. Replacements: S Best, P Shields, M Blair, A Ward, K Campbell, S Young, J Cunningham.

MUNSTER: J Staunton; J Kelly, M Mullins, J Holland, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell; J Williams (capt), A Foley, A Quinlan. Replacements (from): J Blaney, M Cahill, M O'Driscoll, M Galwey, E Halvey, D Leamy, M Prendergast, K Keane, M Lawlor.

LEINSTER (probable): G Dempsey; D Hickie, B O'Driscoll, D Quinlan, S Horgan; C Warner, B O'Meara; R Corrigan (capt), S Byrne, E Byrne; L Cullen, M O'Kelly; E Miller, V Costello, K Gleeson. Replacements: P Coyle, G Hickie, D Dillon, A McCullen, B O'Riordan, N Spooner, P McKenna, G D'Arcy, plus a few more.