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Squad as 31st October (up to 5 changes can be made by 13th November to allow for RWC injuries)
Props
James Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Jeremy Loughman, Liam O’Connor, Stephen Archer, Keynan Knox, John Ryan
No huge surprises with the selections although academy prop Knox getting the nod ahead of Brian Scott does show the level of, deserved faith being put in Knox. Knox has the potential and all the attributes to make it at the top level and his performances so far at senior level show this is a selection on merit. Ciaran Parker's calf injury rules him out of any discussion.
There are 7 props selected, 4 looseheads and 3 tight heads although i expect Loughman to cover both sides in case of emergency. He has come off the bench to cover tight head a number of times already this season but needs more live scrum time to adjust fully.
Loose head has great depth with Killer the undoubted number 1. Cronin leads the charge for the bench spot but he will continue to be pushed by Boomer. All three of these are good on the ball and should be comfortable with Larkhams attacking style.
At tight head we are still very much dependent on the fitness of Ryan and Archer. Knox has huge potential but to be relying on him to go up against Saracens or Racing for 30 mins off the bench may be a step too far too soon. I think Munster should look to move Loughman to tight head permanently as with Josh Wycherly to come through at loosehead we are well covered there.
Hookers
Rhys Marshall, Kevin O’Byrne, Niall Scannell
Again these 3 picks are a no brainer. Along with the 7 props they make up the mandatory 10 front row positions required in the squad.
For me anyway i think before the season started the pecking order was fairly straight forward. Scannell, Marshall and O'Byrne. However Kevin O'Byrne has really laid out a marker in the early part of the season and while he has always shown very good basics it's his work with ball in hand that has seen him stand out so far. His range of passing and ability to play heads up rugby and fit in with Larkhams attack patterns and requirements mean he is now for me anyway jumped ahead of Marshall for the bench spot and Scannell needs to watch his back as the season continues.
Second Rows
Tadhg Beirne, Billy Holland, Jed Holloway, Jean Kleyn, Darren O’Shea, Fineen Wycherley
I have included Fineen Wycherly at second row as thats where he has got most of his gametime already this season. Its hard to see past Beirne and Kleyn as the first choice pairing in Europe yet again this season baring injury. Billy Holland continues to roll back the years and like a good wine he just gets better and better with age. Fineen has the task of jumping ahead of Billy to get the bench spot but that in itself is a big ask. Fineen has been asked to play a similar selfless role of hitting rucks and doing the necessary work to make the attacking patterns work without the necessary high profile praise that comes with it. Darren O'Shea is a direct replacement for Kleyn in case of injury and Holloway i suspect is more to help manage the gametime of Kleyn and Beirne post RWC and offer leadership and experience to the Pro 14 squad. Sean O'Connor is the man to miss out.
Back Rows
Arno Botha, Chris Cloete, Tommy O’Donnell, Jack O’Donoghue, Peter O’Mahony, Jack O’Sullivan, CJ Stander.
Its hard to see any Munster back row with POM and CJ in it but i think the third spot if wide open at the moment and could be tailored to suit the gameplan and opposition. Botha offers the power/heavy carrier option with CJ moving to 6 and POM to 7. Tommy O'Donnell offers potentially a more defensive option in that he could be the guy to make the 15+ tackles and allow Beirne and POM added opportunities to jackal as they did against Exeter in Thomond Park last season. Jack O'Donoghue has been in superb form this season so far. He looks to have added bulk since his injury and his work both in maul defence and wide carrying as the 1 of the 2-3-2-1 pod system has seen him earn many plaudits. He could be used against the likes of the Ospreys where Munster could reasonably expect to have some dominance up front and could be very effective out wide. He would also be an effective bench option against the a tiring Racing side. Cloete offers the jackal option at openside if required but carrying 3 jackals (Beirne, POM and Cloete) against the top teams when heavy carriers, which Munster are short on, are also required is unlikely. Jack O'Sullivan has got the nod ahead of the likes of Gavin Coombes based on his early season form. Its unlikely he'll see much european gametime but again the fact hes included is a big boost to a player with a lot of potential.
Scrum Halfs
Neil Cronin, Alby Mathewson, Nick McCarthy, Conor Murray.
Leaving out Craig Casey is the one contentious call in the squad. Murray and Mathewson should be the first choice players on game day and based on those selected I think Nick McCarthy is next inline. Mathewson's contract is up at the end of November and baring an injury to the likes of Murray he should be replaced by Casey anyway. Leaving out Casey for me just sends the wrong message and optics and hints that the jump in contracts was merely to fend off Leinster. Casey has shown enough so far this season for me to show that there is little difference in standard between him and Cronin and his potential is far greater. The likelihood of Cronin or Casey playing significant gametime in europe this season comes down to injury but leaving Casey out just seems to show a lack of faith that I don't understand.
Outhalfs
Tyler Bleyendaal, Joey Carbery, JJ Hanrahan
Again no surprises with the selections but its the injury to Carbery that is the worry. He still hasn't recovered from the injury towards the end of last season and his lack of gametime at the RWC doesn't bode well. If he misses the Saracens double header it means Munster have to rely on Tyler and JJ's fitness to see them through. JJ looks to be the front runner for the starting spot and yet again he seems to be thriving in the new patterns and attacking system Munster are using.
Centres
Sammy Arnold, Chris Farrell, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell,
Chris Farrell is without doubt the first choice 13 but his centre partner is less certain. Pre season Scannell would have been the favourite but Goggin continues to develop and is showing his how skillset is more than a bosher. He could well take the 12 shirt to start the season but with Carbery's injury Scannell could well have a significant role to play as 10/12 cover. Arnold needs to make the most of his Pro 14 starts now to put himself back into the equation.
Back Three
Mike Haley, Andrew Conway, Shane Daly, Keith Earls, Calvin Nash, Darren Sweetnam, Alex Wootton
With everyone fit it does look like Earls, Conway and Haley as the first choice back three. Daly has really impressed in early season and his selection to start at full back against Cardiff only adds to the idea that he is likely to be bench option for europe. Sweetnam needs to push in the Pro14 to regain his bench spot and Nash and Wootton need injuries to see gametime realistically.
My team
My team for the first game away to the Ospreys (assuming Carbery is injured)
Kilcoyne, Scannell, Ryan, Kleyn, Beirne, O'Donoghue, O'Mahony, Stander, Murray, Hanrahan, Earls, Goggin, Farrell, Conway, Haley
Subs: O'Byrne, Cronin, Archer, Holland, Botha, Mathewson, Bleyendaal, Scannell, Daly
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