Flannery In For Injured Sheahan

Jerry Flannery comes into the Munster side to win his 23rd cap in place of Frank Sheahan (pictured) who was a late withdrawal from the side having strained a calf muscle.

Jerry Flannery comes into the Munster side to win his 23rd cap in place of Frank Sheahan (pictured) who was a late withdrawal from the side having strained a calf muscle while training with the national squad.

Sheahan didn’t travel to Wales with the rest of the squad but he is confident that the injury will have cleared up in time to allow him figure in the Ireland side for the opening Six Nations game against Italy.

The Munster squad arrived in Wales yesterday (Friday) evening and took up station in the Stradey Park Hotel, located less than five minutes drive from the match venue. They face a home side badly stung by a performance last week in Scotland that saw them beaten 23-0 and they are dertermined to erase that memory in the best possible fashion. Their veteran lock Chris Wyatt, says, “People are right to ask the question whether the Scarlets are the side they were or can they be again. We have to answer those critics now”.

Wyatt admitted to being ‘immensely disappointed’ that Welsh coach Mike Ruddock overlooked him for the Six Nations and the 38 year old will see this game as an opportunity to prove Ruddock wrong.

Munster. C Cullen; P Devlin, S Payne, J Holland, A Horgan; R O Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes; D O Callaghan, P O Connell; A Quinlan, D Leamy, A Foley capt

Llanelli Scarlets: G Evans; A Havili, M J Watkins, S Finau, T Selley; G Bowen, M Phillips; P John, R McBryde, J Davies; V Cooper, C Wyatt; S Easterby capt G Thomas, A Powell.

Referee: Andy Ireland (Scotland)