MAGNERS LEAGUE: Ospreys v Munster:THE PROSPECT of the Magners League leaders hosting their closest pursuers would ordinarily whet the appetite but tonight's game in Swansea is devalued somewhat by the absence on both sides of influential figures from central casting.
The Ospreys have elected to rest Ireland wing Tommy Bowe, Gavin Henson, Ryan Jones and Adam Jones, while electing to start their former All Black flanker Marty Holah on the bench. This comes on top of injuries that sideline Nikki Walker, Duncan Jones, Ian Evans and Kiwi scrumhalf Jamie Nutbrown.
Munster will be without the injured Rua Tipoki (leg) and Ronan O'Gara (hamstring) although in the case of the latter, coach Tony McGahan is reasonably confident his pivot will be fit to take his place when the Heineken Cup resumes next week. The Irish province welcome the Sale Sharks to Limerick.
The Australian will be pleased that three influential performers have recovered from injury to bolster Munster's prospects ahead of tonight's match. Captain Paul O'Connell resumes in the second row having overcome a medial knee ligament injury sustained in the Clermont Auvergne match in December, while Denis Leamy has finally shrugged off the knock he picked up in the province's celebrated clash with New Zealand at Thomond Park.
Tomás O'Leary is another to leave the treatment table behind, resuming at scrumhalf, where he will partner Paul Warwick. The composition of the remainder of the backline was complicated slightly by a stomach bug that has swept through the squad, ruling out Keith Earls, Jeremy Manning and Kieran Lewis. Denis Hurley continues at fullback, Barry Murphy is in the centre and Ian Dowling returns to the left wing.
The same illness has denied McGahan the services of frontrow forwards Marcus Horan and Tony Buckley and flanker Niall Ronan. Freddie Pucciariello is named at loosehead prop, having emerged unscathed from an IRFU disciplinary hearing.
The replacements include former Ireland Schools outhalf Conan Doyle and another ex-underage international in centre Tom Gleeson.
Consecutive defeats to Connacht and Ulster mean Munster, unusually, find themselves with several performance-related issues that they will be keen to address immediately. The return of O'Connell and Leamy should guarantee a hard-nosed focus at a time when the Irish province require a high-calibre performance from the pack.
While acknowledging the importance of the set-pieces, the Munster eight need to rediscover the qualities that make them such a difficult unit to counteract: abrasive ball-carrying, aggressive, front-foot defence on the gain line and a continuity of patterns that allows their halfbacks to shape the game.
Warwick has largely excelled for Munster this season no matter which role he has been thrust into and while he didn't have his best outing last week, there is no doubting his ability. O'Gara's hamstring problem may not rule him out of the Sale match but Munster supporters would sleep a little better at night if Warwick produced a confident, assured display.
Lifeimi Mafi, Doug Howlett and Ian Dowling are the mainstays of a backline that needs to function more fluently than of late: it's about creating and exploiting opportunities. Barry Murphy and Denis Hurley have a chance to earn starting spots against Sale on the strength of their performance in Swansea, albeit contingent upon where McGahan elects to start Earls this day next week.
The Ospreys have been winning matches recently by dint of perspiration rather than inspiration. Shane Williams's return from injury will provide a cutting edge out wide, while Johnny Vaughton is no slouch on the other wing.
They are especially strong at halfback, where James Hook and Mike Phillips are potential match winners.
Coach Sean Holley has decided to persevere with Jonathan Thomas - ordinarily a backrow forward - in the secondrow in a pack that appears a little under-strength.
Holley explained: "We have a good record against Munster, and we want to keep that record intact.
"It is about building on the momentum we have generated during recent weeks, improving in certain areas to take performance levels to where we want them to be. We are mindful that some players have already had, and still have to come, a lot of action, and are in need of some rest. In the case of Shane (Williams), Huw Bennett and Lyndon Bateman, we are delighted to be able to welcome them back from injury, increasing the selection options available to us."
If the rugby maxim that forwards win matches and backs decide by how much hold true then Munster seem better equipped to prevail. They have tended to produce a positive reaction to setbacks and having endured two in succession won't want to let the situation fester.
Munster haven't beaten the Ospreys in Wales since 2004 while the home side have not lost a home match this season. The composition of the respective sides blurs those statistics a tad; it should be close.
OSPREYS:L Byrne; J Vaughton, S Parker, A Bishop, S Williams; J Hook, M Phillips; P James (capt), R Hibbard, C Griffiths; A-Wyn Jones, J Thomas; T Smith, S Tandy, F Tiatia. Replacements: H Bennett, R Bevington, L Bateman, M Holah, R Webb, D Biggar, K Phillips.
MUNSTER:D Hurley; D Howlett, B Murphy, L Mafi, I Dowling; P Warwick, T O'Leary; F Pucciariello, J Flannery, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt); A Quinlan, D Wallace, D Leamy. Replacements: D Fogarty, T Ryan, M O'Driscoll, J O'Sullivan, P Stringer, C Doyle, T Gleeson.
Referee:Andy Macpherson (Scotland).
Last meeting:April 2008 at Musgrave Park - Munster 9 Ospreys 8
Leading points scorers:Ospreys - James Hook 74. Munster - Ronan O'Gara 44.
Leading try scorers:Ospreys - James Hook, N Walker 3 each. Munster - Doug Howlett 5.
Verdict:Draw.
