Under 21’s In Munster Side.

Munster coach Alan Gaffney has included U21 internationals Richard Lane and Barry Murphy in his squad for the trip to Wales this weekend and the Celtic League game with Mike Ruddock’s Gwent Dragons.

Munster coach Alan Gaffney has included Under 21 internationals Richard Lane and Barry Murphy in his squad for the trip to Wales this weekend and the Celtic League game with Mike Ruddock’s Gwent Dragons.

Lane (UCC) was a member of the Munster Under 21 side that retained the Interprovincial championship last month returning from injury to play a crucial role at full-back in his side’s championship triumph. He was also brought into the Munster senior squad for the knock-out stages of last season’s Heineken Cup. Centre Murphy (UL Bohemians) was a regular on the international Under 21 side – playing in midfield alongside club colleague Keith Matthews – will sit on the bench alongside Lane and Frank Murphy another recent U 21 as Gaffney goes beyond his contracted players with injury decimating the Munster squad.

Following on from the game last week, Munster lost Martin McPhil, Martin Cahill, Jerry Flannery and David Pusey while Jason Jones Hughes cried off yesterday with a back pr oblem and there is also doubt about Mike Mullins who was unwell yesterday and was unable to train. Despite all these headaches Gaffney remains upbeat. ” All part of the game really.

The physical nature of this sport means that you have to expect this sort of thing. Mind you we are getting a fair hit at the minute but we’re lucky that we have such promising talent coming through and the plus side of the in jury thiong is that it’s gives these young guys the opportunity to gain experience at at the next level.” Jim Williams returns having missed the Ulster game with a stomach bug and Dominic Crotty, – who, returning from injury started on the bench last Friday – is now fully fit and he starts at full-back with Shaun Payne reverting to the wing. :”

Gaffney stresses the importance of having these players in the side. “In the end of the day you cannot beat experience and players like Jimmy and Dominic have that in spades. We have a lot of young guys in the tyeams, guys who haven’t had much experience at this level so they need the ‘old’ heads around to guide them along. In the short term it might seem we have problems, results going against us but in the long term it could be agood thing.”

Munster assemble in Cork at lunchtime today and fly to Cardiff with the Cork based Jet Magic company.