All Roads Lead To Nenagh

Nenagh Rugby Club is the venue for Friday’s night’s British & Irish Cup clash between Munster and Bristol Rugby (7.30pm).

Both sides won their opening games, Munster in Coventry and Bristol in Neath and coach Anthony Foley and his management team have taken careful note of that result in Wales. “We recognise that great result they had in Neath,” he says, “to win at the Gnoll is a fair achievement and obviously an excellent start to the campaign for them. But it still a case of us concentrating on ourselves and making sure we’re right for the game.”

“They’re not long out of the Premiership,” he continues, ” so yes, a strong side. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of team they select but that’s out of our control too.”

The choice of venue is one that appeals to the man who lives a relatively short distance across the fields away. ” I think its a great venue. Went in there yesterday and the pitch was a bit soft but with the forecast that the bad spell of weather will blow over, it should be grand.

” It’ll be a tremendous occasion. Nice to play in front of a big crowd again. The boys are enjoying the fact that the last couple of games, against Leinster in Clonmel and then in Coventry attracted big crowds and the atmosphere has been marvellous. It all helps and we’d be looking forward to more of the same in Nenagh on Friday.”

The Munster side shows six changes from the side that started against Coventry, three of those changes involve players, Danny Riordan, Billy Holland and Tommy O’Donnell, who had been originally selected, missing out through injury or illness.

Elsewhere, sub-Academy player Simon Zebo, a second half replacement at Butts Stadium, comes onto the wing for Ireland A call-up Denis Hurley, scrum half Conor Murray replaces the injured Duncan Williams while another sub-Academy player, Dave Kilcoyne comes into the front-row in place of Julien Brugnaut.

Munster: D Riordan; D Barnes, T Gleeson, S Deasy; S Zebo; D Cusack, C Murray; D Kilcoyne, M Sherry, S Archer; I Nagle, D Foley; B Holland, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan; Replacements: S Henry, P O’Regan, N Williams, P O’Mahony, P Rowley, A Burke, R O’Mahony.