O'Driscoll leads Munster against Eagles
Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:40
Mick O'Driscoll will captain Heineken Cup champions Munster in their opening game of the season, a Challenge Cup match against the United States Eagles at Rentschler Field, Greater Hartford, on Saturday.
The side shows just one change in the pack from the side that started against the Eagles in Chicago one year ago.
That change comes in the back row, where 23-year-old Billy Holland takes over for the retired Anthony Foley. Holland will wear the No.6 jersey, Niall Ronan at No.7 and John O'Sullivan anchoring the scrum.
Scrumhalf Mike Prendergast, who has returned to the squad after stints in Bourgoin and Gloucester, partners flyhalf Paul Warwick at halfback, while Keith Earls is an interesting choice at No.13 alongside Lifeimi Mafi (No.12) - with Anthony Horgan and Brian Carney on the wings.
Coach Tony McGahan is expecting a tough encounter against a side who already have the benefit of a recent outing against Clermont Auvergne.
"They've been together in camp for the past month and are essentially the side that played in the recent Churchill Cup, so they are well used to each other at this stage and we know from the game last year what we can expect from them.
"They're a good physical side and the conditions that we're expecting on Saturday will make things even harder for us. But we're looking forward to it, the lads have worked hard this week and now it's time to put that hard work to use."
Munster: 15 Denis Hurley, 14 Brian Carney, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Anthony Horgan, 10 Paul Warwick, 9 Mike Prendergast, 8 John O'Sulliva, 7 Niall Ronan, 6 Billy Holland, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Mick O'Driscoll (captain), 3 Tony Buckley, 2 Denis Fogarty, 1 Federico Pucciariello.
Replacements - from: Darragh Hurley, Frak Sheahan, Mark Melbourne, Tommy O'Donnell, Tomas O'Leary, Jeremy Manning, Rua Tipoki, Barry Murphy, Ian Dowling, Kieran
Lewis.
Date: Saturday, August 23
Venue: Rentschler Field, East Hartford
Kick-off: 15.00 (19.00 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Small (England)
Touch judges: Jem McDowall (USA), Davey Ardrey (USA)
