Munster face one of their Conference A rivals first up, welcoming the Toyota Cheetahs to Thomond Park for only the second time as both teams target a strong start to the new GUINNESS PRO14 season.
GUINNESS PRO14: Saturday, September 1
MUNSTER v TOYOTA CHEETAHS, Thomond Park, 5.15pm (live eir Sport 1/Premier Sports/SuperSport 1)
Team News: Munster head coach Johann van Graan has named his starting line-up to face the Toyota Cheetahs in the first round of the GUINNESS PRO14 at Thomond Park this evening.
New signings Arno Botha, Mike Haley and Neil Cronin will make their PRO14 starting debuts, while Ireland international Joey Carbery, who has made a well-publicised summer move from Leinster, is set to make his debut in red if sprung off the bench.
Munster Academy member and Ireland Sevens international Shane Daly is another player making his debut as he joins Haley and Darren Sweetnam in a new-look back-three. The pre-season centre combination of Dan Goggin and Rory Scannell remain unchanged for the Championship opener.
Neil Cronin, who last featured in the competition as a replacement in March 2015, partners up with JJ Hanrahan at half-back. Scrum half Cronin (25) is a younger brother of Leinster and Ireland hooker Sean and captained Garryowen to the Munster Senior Cup title and an Ulster Bank League play-off place last season.
In the front row, returning Ireland prop John Ryan makes his first appearance of the 2018/19 campaign as he scrums down next to Mike Sherry and Dave Kilcoyne. Captain Billy Holland and Jean Kleyn join forces again in the second row, with Dave O’Callaghan, Tommy O’Donnell and South African newcomer Botha forming the back row.
Included in the replacements are Rhys Marshall and Stephen Archer who are in line to make first appearances of the season, with Archer overcoming the pec injury he sustained against Edinburgh in May. After impressing in the pre-season run, Academy back rower Gavin Coombes is included in his first PRO14 squad.
Buy Munster v Toyota Cheetahs tickets online here, from the Munster Rugby Ticket Offices in Irish Independent Park and Thomond Park, or by calling 061 421103. Tickets available from €;20 for adults, €;7 * for juniors/students and €;40 for families (two adults and two juniors).
* Junior tickets can only be purchased with an adult ticket. Student tickets can only be purchased in person at our ticket offices. You will need a valid student ID card at time of purchase to enter the ground on match day.
Meanwhile, Springboks attack coach Franco Smith, who has left the national set-up to take up the director of rugby and head coach roles at the Cheetahs, have included seven PRO14 debutants in his matchday squad for the Munster match.
Benhard Janse van Rensburg and Tian Schoeman are the newcomers in the back-line, with the latter returning to Bloemfontein following one season with French club Bordeaux-Begles. Schoeman forms an experienced half-back pairing with the 31-year-old Shaun Venter.
New captain Oupa Mohoje, who won his 19th South Africa cap against Wales in June, leads the Cheetahs from openside flanker. Loosehead Ox Nche is also a Springbok having made his debut against the Welsh in Washington, while Luan de Bruin and 6ft 10-and-a-half inch lock JP du Preez will make their PRO14 bows in Limerick.
There could be Championship debuts for Walt Steenkamp, Aidon Davis and Ryno Eksteen off the bench, with 24-year-old back rower Davis back in the South African system after two years in France with Toulon and Bayonne. Smith’s charges will travel to Wales on Sunday ahead of their round 2 meeting with the Ospreys in Swansea.
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Darren Sweetnam, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly; JJ Hanrahan, Neil Cronin; Dave Kilcoyne, Mike Sherry, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland (capt), Dave O’Callaghan, Tommy O’Donnell, Arno Botha.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Brian Scott, Stephen Archer, Darren O’Shea, Gavin Coombes, James Hart, Joey Carbery, Sam Arnold.
TOYOTA CHEETAHS: Malcolm Jaer; Rabz Maxwane, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Nico Lee, William Small-Smith; Tian Schoeman, Shaun Venter; Ox Nche, Jacques du Toit, Luan de Bruin, Justin Basson, JP du Preez, Junior Pokomela, Oupa Mohoje (capt), Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Joseph Dweba, Charles Marais, Aranos Coetzee, Walt Steenkamp, Aidon Davis, Tian Meyer, Ernst Stapelberg, Ryno Eksteen.
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Mark Patton (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Munster to win: 1/20; Draw: 40/1; Toyota Cheetahs to win: 9/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Sam Arnold (Munster) – “Following on from a small knee procedure I had to have taken care of, I only made my return off the bench last weekend against Exeter at Irish Independent Park, and I’d love to be involved again on Saturday as the real season begins.
“There’s a lot of positives to take from the Exeter game – young boys got their opportunities and they showed what they can do so there’s no panic stations (with a 12-0 defeat). On another day we’d take one or two of those chances and come away with the win.
“We won plenty of penalties close to their line too and in a competitive game we’d kick our goals and maybe you’d even see a yellow card being dished out. It was a pre-season game and we know the game served us well in our preparations.
“We’re not far away now from nailing our game-plan, it’s just fine-tuning things at this point, but the big thing we wanted to improve was our pass accuracy. We’ve worked hard on it in the last few weeks and we’ve seen improvements in training and hopefully that comes through in the competition as well.
“It doesn’t mean we’re going to be playing Barbarians rugby, throwing the ball around when it’s not on, but we’re going to play expansively if the chance is there to go. We’re not going to be stupid and naive but it is exciting to be involved in.”
Franco Smith (Toyota Cheetahs) – “We are excited to start with the GUINNESS PRO14 again. We have a huge task ahead of us with new players who joined the squad and we want to make South Africa and the PRO14 proud.
“Saturday is the beginning of a new season. We are realistic. We have to stick to the process and try to adapt as quickly as possible to the required tempo and intensity.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Munster – Points: Ian Keatley 100; Tries: Alex Wootton 8; Toyota Cheetahs – Points: Fred Zeilinga 86; Tries: Makazole Mapimpi 10
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, September 9, 2017 – Munster 51 Toyota Cheetahs 18, Thomond Park
Friday, April 13, 2018 – Toyota Cheetahs 17 Munster 19, Toyota Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– The only time since 2009 that Munster have begun a new GUINNESS PRO14 campaign with an opening weekend defeat was when they slipped up by a single point to Edinburgh in Limerick in 2014
– The Munstermen have lost only once at home in any tournament since February 2017: 34-24 to Leinster on St. Stephen’s Day last year
– Munster won all three games they played against South African opponents last season
– The Toyota Cheetahs lost to the Scarlets in the PRO14 play-offs last season, but in the regular season their only loss in the last five rounds was at home to Munster on April 13
– The Cheetahs won just two of their six fixtures against Irish provinces last season, both at home, to Leinster in round 4 and Connacht in round 17
– The two sides have met twice before with Munster winning both encounters
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