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Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Guinness PRO14 match between Munster and Leinster at Thomond Park.
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A bumper attendance of around 26,000 is expected in Limerick but those attending the sold-out match might be feeling very short-changed following the respective underwhelming team announcements.
Instead of getting to see a festive fixture showcasing the very best players on the circuit in Ireland, the stars of the Irish game will be in short supply.
The two provinces provided 20 of the 23 players chosen by Joe Schmidt for the recent World Cup quarter-final loss to New Zealand, but just three of those players are included for this interprovincial.
(Continue reading below…)
RugbyPass went behind the scenes with the Barbarians before their recent clash with Wales
Props Dave Kilcoyne and Andrew Porter – who were on the Ireland bench in Yokohama – are the only ones to have starting roles in Limerick ten weeks later.
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The pair will pack down directly against each other, with Joey Carbery, another Ireland replacement from that humiliation at the hands of the All Blacks, chosen on the Munster bench.
The season of goodwill didn't apply across the board in Ireland on Monday as new coach Andy Farrell only met with media handpicked by the IRFU rather than accommodating all media
https://t.co/T2p46YiKa1— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 24, 2019
Sean Cronin, who was at the finals in Japan before injury cut short his participation, has been chosen on the Leinster bench.
MUNSTER: 15. Mike Haley; 14. Dan Goggin, 13. Sammy Arnold, 12. Rory Scannell, 11. Shane Daly; 10. JJ Hanrahan, 9. Nick McCarthy; 1. Dave Kilcoyne, 2. Kevin O’Byrne, 3. Stephen Archer, 4. Fineen Wycherley, 5. Billy Holland (capt), 6. Tommy O’Donnell, 7. Chris Cloete, 8. Jack O’Donoghue. Reps: 16. Diarmuid Barron, 17. Jeremy Loughman, 18. Keynan Knox, 19. Darren O’Shea, 20. Jack O’Sullivan, 21. Neil Cronin, 22. Joey Carbery, 23. Calvin Nash.
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LEINSTER: 15. Hugo Keenan; 14. Adam Byrne, 13. Jimmy O’Brien, 12. Conor O’Brien, 11. James Lowe; 10. Ross Byrne; 9. Jamison Gibson-Park; 1. Ed Byrne, 2. James Tracy, 3. Andrew Porter, 4. Devin Toner, 5. Scott Fardy (capt), 6. Josh Murphy, 7. Will Connors, 8. Caelan Doris. Reps: 16. Sean Cronin, 17. Peter Dooley, 18. Jack Aungier, 19. Ross Molony, 20. Scott Penny, 21. Rowan Osborne, 22. Ciaran Frawley, 23. Tommy O’Brien.
WATCH: RugbyPass went behind the scenes with the Barbarians before their recent clash with Wales
