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Leinster and Munster name their PRO14 semi-final teams

Munster's Joey Carbery will be looking to cause some trouble on his return

Munster have ringed their changes to their team to face Leinster on Saturday in the PRO14 semi-final, the alterations including a welcome return to action for Joey Carbery.

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The former Leinster play-maker has been sidelined since getting injured in the end-of-March European quarter-final win at Edinburgh, but he has now been declared fit to take his place in a line-up showing four changes from the ugly league quarter-final win over Benetton.

Carbery, though, won’t be going head-to-head against Johnny Sexton from the start as the Ireland talisman has been held back in reserve.

Along with Carbery, Keith Earls and John Ryan and Arno Botha also come into the team as Munster attempt to draw a line under a worrying few weeks where their weak European semi-final performance to Saracens was following by the poor show versus Benetton and the revelation that assistant coaches Jerry Flannery and Felix Jones are to quit at the end of the season.

Dublin isn’t at all a happy hunting ground for Munster, either. Their last win in the Irish capital was a 2014 October derby win over Leinster and their only success previous to that came in September 2008.

That history of hurt puts into context their record of 17 wins in 22 league outings this season – they really do have to step up to the mark in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,977 if they are to eclipse a Leinster XV showing four changes to the team that started the Champions Cup final defeat to Saracens last Saturday in Newcastle.

Jordan Larmour shifts from the wing to full-back instead of Rob Kearney, with Dave Kearney coming in. Ross Byrne takes over from Sexton at out-half, while two changes to the back row see Rhys Ruddock and Josh van der Flier step up.

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Leinster v Munster – Saturday, 14.30
RDS Arena, Dublin

LEINSTER: Jordan Larmour; Dave Kearney, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Ross Byrne, Luke McGrath; Cian Healy, Seán Cronin, Tadhg Furlong, Devin Toner, James Ryan, Rhys Ruddock (C), Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan. Reps: Bryan Byrne, Ed Byrne, Andrew Porter, Scott Fardy, Max Deegan, Nick McCarthy, Johnny Sexton, Rory O’Loughlin.

MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), CJ Stander, Arno Botha. Reps: Kevin O’Byrne, Liam O’Connor, Stephen Archer, Billy Holland, Jack O’Donoghue, Alby Mathewson, JJ Hanrahan, Dan Goggin.

Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU).

WATCH: Jim Hamilton interview Leinster’s Rob Kearney for RugbyPass following last weekend’s Champions Cup final loss to Saracens

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TI 1 hour ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Italy | Autumn Nations Series

Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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