BILLY HOLLAND WILL miss his first game of the season as Munster welcome Connacht to Thomond Park on Saturday, while the injury list continues to pile up for head coach Johan van Graan.
Defeat to Ulster at Kingspan Stadium saw Holland, Calvin Nash, Niall Scannell, Tommy O’Donnell and James Cronin all withdrawn early through various knocks, while Chris Cloete reported symptoms of concussion after the full-time whistle in Belfast.
Holland and Cloete are both following Return to Play Protocols, and with just a five-day swing between fixtures, are officially ruled out of Saturday’s third successive interpro.
Calvin Nash (hip), Niall Scannell (ribs) and Tommy O’Donnell (shoulder) are all unlikely to figure, too, though James Cronin (cramp) will train fully for the southern province today.
Chris Farrell – who sustained a knee injury during Ireland’s victory over Argentina in November – is back in training, while Ronan O’Mahony, who fell foul of the Christmas bug, is expected to return later in the week.
Rhys Marshall, meanwhile, continues to follow return to play protocols for a concussion sustained against Leicester on Stephen’s Day.
Dan Goggin (knee) and Gerbrandt Grobler (ankle) will continue with their return to play rehab this week after resuming field-based training the week after Christmas.
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