RUGBY MAGNERS LEAGUE:MUNSTER ARE reasonably optimistic Ian Dowling, Doug Howlett and Mick O'Driscoll will be available for selection for Saturday night's Magners League semi-final against Leinster at the RDS. Wings Dowling and Howlett were both close to making Sunday's 13-12 defeat to Cardiff and the expectation is they should have made the requisite progress by the weekend.
O’Driscoll rolled an ankle in the Heineken Cup semi-final defeat to Perpignan in San Sebastian but he too is expected to be in contention for the Leinster match as will prop John Hayes and hooker Jerry Flannery, who were rested and didn’t travel to Cardiff.
Keith Earls’s groin strain is less clear-cut in terms of a definitive diagnosis and so his fitness will be monitored in training during the week.
Munster captain Paul O’Connell will definitely miss the game at the RDS.
Coach Tony McGahan will announce an extended panel for the match following this morning’s session in Limerick. His Leinster counterpart, Michael Cheika, will do likewise from the province’s Dublin base.
Captain Leo Cullen is the main injury concern but there appears to be better news with regard to outhalf Jonathan Sexton’s continuing rehabilitation. He’ll certainly want to play but that desire will have to be supported by medical approval.
Gordon D’Arcy received a heavy blow to the head in the win over Edinburgh but it won’t threaten his participation at the weekend. Seán O’Brien and Shane Jennings will be in contention for selection.
Shaun Berne pulled out of the team just prior to the kick-off against Edinburgh after tweaking a quad muscle in the warm-up while place-kicking but the damage is not thought to be serious.
Meanwhile, Connacht have announced a 29-man senior squad for next season – they will add to the list of players over the comings weeks – that includes two members of Ireland’s victorious Six Nations Under-20 squad in centre Eoin Griffin and wing Tiernan O’Halloran.
The pair will first travel to Argentina to take part in the Under-20 World Cup.
Griffin and O’Halloran are both excellent prospects with whom Connacht’s incoming head coach for the new season Eric Elwood is well versed and he will be hoping they continue their footballing development.
Elwood swaps his duties as backs coach under Michael Bradley to embrace his new remit.
Unfortunately Connacht were unable to hang on to the services of number eight George Naoupu who can hardly be chastised for accepting a ridiculously lucrative offer to play in Japan.
Naoupu made a massive impression on team-mates and supporters alike and played a central role in everything Connacht achieved on the pitch this season.
Connacht Rugby has confirmed season tickets will remain at the same price for the new campaign. A ground ticket, which costs just €225, will cover 11 Magners League games at the Sportsground and the three pool games in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
A season ticket for the enclosed stand will cost just €275, family tickets are €375, concessions €150 and juniors just €60 for the new campaign.
CONNACHT SQUAD: L Bibo, F Carr, G Duffy, E Griffin, I Keatley, K Matthews, F Murphy, T Nathan, M Nikora, T O’Halloran, C O’Loughlin, N Ta’auso, B Tuohy, A Wynne, A Browne, S Cronin, A Flavin J Hagan, R Loughney, M McCarthy, M McComish, R Morris, J Muldoon, D Nolan, J O’Connor, R Ofisa, M Swift, B Upton, B Wilkinson.
