Bill Johnston effort rewarded with Munster A captaincy
Fresh from an excellent performance in last week’s Celtic Cup victory over Connacht Eagles, fly-half Bill Johnston will captain Munster A against Ospreys Development in Wales this afternoon (2pm).
Johnston, who kicked four second-half penalties at Musgrave Park eight days ago to seal a 24-16 victory in the opening round of the inaugural Irish-Welsh development league, will lead a Munster A squad featuring 10 academy players at St Helens against a side which also won its opening fixture, 41-36 at Scarlets A.
Head coach Peter Malone has made five changes to the side that defeated the Eagles in Cork having seen lock Darren O’Shea and scrum-half James Hart restored to the senior squad for last night’s PRO14 clash with Ospreys.
Fineen Wycherley makes the reverse switch to the A team second row while Malone has also drafted in Stephen Fitzgerald, Alan Tynan, Jack Stafford, Brian Scott and Fineen Wycherley to the starting XV.
Full-back Fitzgerald has recovered from illness with he and wing Tynan joining Calvin Nash in the back three in a backline featuring the unchanged academy midfield pairing of Alex McHenry and Matt More. Stafford is promoted from the bench to the number nine jersey.
S Fitzgerald; A Tynan, M More, A McHenry, C Nash; B Johnston - captain, J Stafford; J Loughman, D Barron, B Scott; F Wycherley, S O’Connor; J Daly, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
B Scannell, J Wycherley, C Parker, D O’Grady, D Walsh, J Poland, B Healy, S French.
