AFTER A PAINSTAKING, 18-month rehabilitation process, RG Snyman will make his return to action off Munster’s bench at a sold-out Musgrave Park as Graham Rowntree’s side host Scarlets on Friday (19:35, RTÉ Two).
The Springbok World Cup winner, who re-ruptured his ACL against the same Welsh region in October 2021, has been named among Munster’s replacements while Rowntree has also made three personnel changes and one positional switch to his starting XV that hammered the Ospreys a fortnight ago.
Into the side comes hooker Diarmuid Barron who will make his 50th appearance for his native province, with Niall Scannell beginning from the bench. There are starts, too, for Patrick Campbell at fullback and Calvin Nash on the right wing, with Shane Daly moving from 15 last time out to the left wing for Friday’s encounter. Liam Coombes and Simon Zebo, both starters against the Ospreys, miss out on the matchday squad.
Gavin Coombes, who scored a hat-trick against Ospreys at Thomond Park, starts again at number eight on his return from Ireland camp, as does Roman Salanoa at tighthead.
Three of Munster’s units will start together for the third successive game: locks Jean Kleyn and Fineen Wycherley, half-backs Paddy Patterson and Joey Carbery, and centres Malakai Fekitoa and Antoine Frisch.
Jack Crowley and Keynan Knox also come into the squad as replacements — the latter for the first time since October — with academy duo Ethan Coughlan and Mark Donnelly keeping their places on the bench.
Munster (v Scarlets)
- 15. Patrick Campbell
- 14. Calvin Nash
- 13. Antoine Frisch
- 12. Malakai Fekitoa
- 11. Shane Daly
- 10. Joey Carbery
- 9. Paddy Patterson
- 1. Josh Wycherley
- 2. Diarmuid Barron
- 3. Roman Salanoa
- 4. Jean Kleyn
- 5. Fineen Wycherley
- 6. Jack O’Donoghue (Captain)
- 7. John Hodnett
- 8. Gavin Coombes
Replacements:
- 16.Niall Scannell
- 17. Mark Donnelly
- 18. Keynan Knox
- 19. RG Snyman
- 20. Alex Kendellen
- 21. Ethan Coughlan
- 22. Jack Crowley
- 23. Jack O’Sullivan
