JOHANN VAN GRAAN has handed another chance to fringe players to stake a claim for Heineken Cup starts before their Ireland colleagues return, rested, after a slog in Japan.
Munster have only won one of their last four visits to Cardiff, but their coach has made 11 alterations to the side that claimed a bonus-point win over Ospreys last week for their latest Welsh raid (kick-off 19.35. eir Sport).
Next Saturday’s inter-pro against Ulster will surely see plenty of World Cup veterans restored to the starting team. In their absence, Munster have gotten off to a bright start and are joint leaders of Conference B ahead of this weekend’s action.
One of four players to retain their place from last week, Dan Goggin, says they are expecting to be severely tested in defence once again after experiencing their biggest loss under Van Graan at the Arms Park.
“That’s a game that we target every single year and the last couple of years we haven’t come away with a win over there,” said Goggin, who didn’t feature in that 37-13 defeat last year.
“Conditions are always tough over there and they’ve got serious attacking force in the back. You know Rey Lee-Lo and Willis Halaholo will be dangerous so we are going to prepare as best we can for that game and do our best to come away with the points.”
As well as Goggin, Jack O’Donoghue starts again for Munster and will captain the side for the second time, and elsewhere Calvin Nash and Shane Daly are also retained.
Arnold and Alex Wootton will start for the first time this season, while Conor Oliver could also make his seasonal debut from the bench. South African native Keynan Knox makes his first Munster start at tighthead.
Centres Lee-Lo and Halaholo were the chief destroyers in both meetings of the sides last season, and while Lee-Lo make his first start since representing Samoa at the World Cup, Halaholo is held in reserve for John Mulvihill’s side.
Munster:
15. Shane Daly
14. Calvin Nash
13. Sammy Arnold
12. Dan Goggin
11. Alex Wootton
10. JJ Hanrahan
9. Alby Mathewson
1. Jeremy Loughman
2. Kevin O’Byrne
3. Keynan Knox
4. Fineen Wycherley
5. Darren O’Shea
6. Jack O’Donoghue Capt
7. Chris Cloete
8. Arno Botha.
Replacements:
16. Diarmuid Barron
17. Liam O’Connor
18. Stephen Archer
19. Jed Holloway
20. Conor Oliver
21. Nick McCarthy
22. Tyler Bleyendaal
23. Rory Scannell
Cardiff Blues:
15. Matthew Morgan
14. Jason Harries
13. Rey Lee-Lo
12. Garyn Smith
11. Aled Summerhill
10. Jarrod Evans
9. Lloyd Williams Capt
1. Corey Domachowski
2. Liam Belcher
3. Scott Andrews
4. Josh Turnbull
5. Rory Thornton
6. Shane Lewis-Hughes
7. Olly Robinson
8. Will Boyde
Replacements:
16. Kirby Myhill
17. Brad Thyer
18. Keiron Assiratti
19. Seb Davies
20. Nick Williams
21. Lewis Jones
22. Jason Tovey
23. Willis Halaholo
