Munster

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Next five fixtures: Stormers (H), Bath (A, Champions Cup), Gloucester (H, Champions Cup), Ospreys (A), Leinster (H)

The international break came at a bad time for Clayton McMillan.

Having started his reign with five wins - highlighted by an impressive dismantling of Leinster at Croke Park - the New Zealander must now ensure his side's early-season momentum has not been disrupted by the Test window.

Across five URC wins and a victory over Argentina XV, McMillan has used 47 players, and his hand has been strengthened this week, with Thaakir Abrahams, Diarmuid Barron, Conor Bartley, Mike Haley, John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen and Niall Scannell all returning to training.

Highly-rated second row Edwin Edogbo is also nearing a return from a head injury, while former Leinster prop Michael Ala'alatoa will join from Clermont in December until the end of the season.

Munster will aim to make it six from six when they host pacesetters Stormers at Thomond Park in a top-two encounter on Saturday (17:30 GMT) before beginning their Champions Cup campaign away to Bath on 6 December.

While the Stormers will be without their South Africa internationals - including Damian Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu - a win against a side who already have a points difference of +118 would be another eye-catching statement of intent from Munster.

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Munster have named five returning Ireland internationals in their squad ahead of Saturday's match against Stormers at Thomond Park (17:30 GMT).

Captain Tadhg Beirne, Tom Ahern, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Tom Farrell have all been included after international duty.

New signing Michael Ala'alatoa, who has signed a contract until the end of the season, is not included.

In addition to the returning Ireland internationals, Shane Daly, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams and Jeremy Loughman also come into the starting line-up.

Casey and Crowley are paired at half-back while Farrell, who won his first two international caps in the autumn, starts at centre alongside Nankivell.

Beirne captains the side and joins Jack O'Donoghue and Gavin Coombes in the back row.

Ahern, who did not feature for Ireland in November matches despite being named in Andy Farrell's wider squad, will start in the second row.

Munster and Stormers are unbeaten this season going into Saturday's contest in Limerick.

Munster: Shane Daly; Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Thaakir Abrahams; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, John Ryan; Tom Ahern, Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (capt), Jack O'Donoghue, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Michael Milne, Ronan Foxe, Edwin Edogbo, John Hodnett, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Dan Kelly.

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Munster have confirmed the signing of Michael Ala'alatoa from French side Clermont Auvergne on a seven-month contract until the end of the season.

The former Leinster front-rower is currently on international duty with Samoa, who have just secured qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, but will commence his contract with the Irish province at the start of December.

The 34-year-old tight-head prop has won 24 international caps and has played in two World Cups.

He previously played Super Rugby for the Waratahs and Crusaders, before scoring six tries in 62 appearances for Leinster between 2021 and 2024.

Ala'alatoa was granted early release from Clermont Auvergne after struggling to make an impact at the Top 14 side.

He played 13 times for the club in his debut season in France but is yet to make an appearance for the club this term.

The prop will not be available for Munster's URC outing against the Stormers at Thomond Park on 29 November but could make his bow the following weekend in the Champions Cup opener against Bath.

The 34-year-old will provide further front row options for Clayton McMillan's side, with John Ryan presently the province's only fit senior tight-head.

Oli Jager is sidelined with concussion, with Roman Salanoa yet to feature this season following two years out with injuries.

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Former Ireland and Munster back Andrew Conway had "hard conversations" with Joe Schmidt when making the switch from Leinster to Munster.

The 34-year-old, whose career ended in 2023 because of a knee injury, had made 42 appearances for his home province at the time when offered a contract with fierce rivals Munster.

Although he had been invited to the Munster Academy as a teenager when leaving Dublin's Blackrock College, Conway at that stage opted to stay at home.

However, speaking to The Ireland Rugby Social podcast, he felt eventually making the switch to Thomond Park in 2013 was the "best decision" he made in his career despite how his then provincial coach Schmidt heard the news.

"I trust my intuition and just felt it was the right thing to do, even though it was the hard thing to do," he said.

"I signed the contract on the Thursday and Joe had rang me an hour after I had signed it, saying 'don't sign anything but come in and talk to me on Saturday'. I didn't have the forethought to say I'd signed so just said 'yeah, grand'.

"On Friday, I went over to London to a football match with a couple of mates and came back the worse for wear on the Saturday. My agent had rang and said Gerry Thornley (of The Irish Times) knew about me signing and it was going into the paper, so Joe would have known.

"I went in and got the head eaten off me, but a few hours later I find out why he was so annoyed - Johnny Sexton had signed for Racing and it was coming out, so my thing was small fish."

In the podcast, Conway talks about his 10 years at Munster where he made 150 appearances for his adopted province.

Knee injuries would hamper his Ireland career as he missed out on two Grand Slams, a winning tour to New Zealand and the 2023 World Cup, something he described as "horrific", but Conway takes a philosophical view of his career.

"I'd love a few more medals and caps, but have a mentality where I don't think about what I didn't achieve or don't have.

"I'm more focused on the positives. Maybe it's a bit idealistic, but it's the truth."

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Tom Farrell has signed a two-year contract extension with Munster just two days after being added to the Ireland squad.

The 32-year-old centre was called up to the national team on Monday after playing a starring role in Munster's 31-14 United Rugby Championship win over Leinster at Croke Park on Saturday.

Farrell has been a hit with Munster fans since joining the province in 2024 after a seven-year spell at Connacht, winning the club's player of the year award as well as the URC playmaker of the year award after scoring 10 tries in 25 appearances.

The Dublin-born player, whose new deal keeps him at Munster until 2028, was previously called into the Ireland squad by Joe Schmidt for the 2019 Six Nations, but did not play because of injury.

Farrell was not selected for Ireland's summer to Georgia and Portugal, and while he was not initially named in the autumn panel, he was added on Monday and has travelled with the squad to Chicago ahead of next week's All Blacks game

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Munster's Jack Crowley said Saturday's 31-14 United Rugby Championship win over rivals Leinster was "not about individual performances" after he starred in his side's win at Croke Park.

In a game widely viewed as a direct shootout between Crowley and Leinster's Sam Prendergast for Ireland's fly-half spot in next month's autumn Tests, the former shone and was named man of the match.

The 25-year-old, however, was not interested in individual plaudits as he praised his team-mates and coaches.

"It's always special playing in Croke Park with the tradition of the GAA and what it meant to Munster coming up here," Crowley told Premier Sports.

"It's not about individual performances. It's about the plan the coaches gave us and it's about the hard work that went in with the lads all week.

"That's what it's about; how you can come together as a collective and say you're going to deliver on a plan and then actually go out and do it. That's the most pleasing thing.

"[I'm] massively proud to be able to front up with these lads and get over the line.

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Saturday's win over Leinster was Munster's fourth in as many games under new boss Clayton McMillan, who was hugely pleased with his side's performance.

Munster recovered from conceding an early Ronan Kelleher try and hit back through Brian Gleeson, Tom Farrell and Ethan Coughlan before a penalty try wrapped up the bonus-point success.

"Our set-piece scrum got put under some real pressure but we found a way, managed to get the ball to the back quick enough and release and turn the pressure on them," said the New Zealander.

"There's always things to work on but I don't want to get too critical of the team who've put in a hell of a shift. We'll worry about what we need to work on on Monday."

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Edwin Edogbo is set to make his first Munster appearance in nearly two years after being named in the matchday squad for Friday's United Rugby Championship game with Edinburgh in Cork (19:45 BST).

The 22-year-old lock has been sidelined since December 2023 with an Achilles injury, but has been included on the bench.

Head coach Clayton McMillan makes 10 changes from last week's win over Cardiff, with Tom Farrell, Calvin Nash, Andrew Smith and Michael Milne handed their seasonal debuts.

Diarmuid Barron, Mike Haley, Sean O'Brien, JJ Hanrahan, Paddy Patterson and Jack O'Donoghue also come into the side.

Munster are still without captain Tadhg Beirne after his involvement in the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, while Ireland scrum-half Craig Casey will return from his thigh injury in "one to three weeks".

Munster are also without Shane Daly, Tom Ahern (both concussion), Niall Scannell (hand), Diarmuid Kilgallen (ankle), John Hodnett (cheek), Alex Kendellen (ankle) and Conor Bartley (thigh).

In-form fly-half Jack Crowley is rested.

The Irish province are targeting a third straight win after opening their campaign with wins over Scarlets and Cardiff.

Edinburgh lost to Zebre before their home game against Ulster last week was postponed because of Storm Amy.

The Scots have recalled Lions wingers Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe, while Pierre Schoeman, D'arcy Rae and Sam Skinner come into the pack.

Dylan Richardson will make his Edinburgh debut in the back row after joining from the Sharks.

Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Sean O'Brien, Andrew Smith; JJ Hanrahan, Paddy Patterson; Michael Milne, Diarmuid Barron (capt), Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O'Donoghue, Ruadhan Quinn, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Lee Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ethan Coughlan, Tony Butler, Dan Kelly.

Edinburgh: Wes Goosen; Darcy Graham, Piers O'Conor, James Lang, Duhan van der Merwe; Ben Healy, Ben Vellacott; Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, D'arcy Rae, Marshall Sykes, Sam Skinner, Liam McConnell, Dylan Richardson, Magnus Bradbury (capt).

Replacements: Paddy Harrison, Boan Venter, Paul Hill, Glen Young, Freddy Douglas, Ben Muncaster, Charlie Shiel, Harry Paterson.

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Niall Scannell has been passed fit to lead Munster into their first home game of the United Rugby Championship season when they welcome Cardiff to Thomond Park on Saturday (19:45 BST).

The Munster captain passed a Head Injury Assessment to start at hooker in an unchanged front five, but JJ Hanrahan misses out and will follow return-to-play protocols after picking up a head knock in last week's bonus-point win at Scarlets.

Jack Crowley comes into the side at fly-half as head coach Clayton McMillan has been forced into six changes from their opening win in Wales.

Craig Casey and Alex Kendellen are ruled out through injury with Paddy Patterson replacing Casey at scrum-half, while Ruadhán Quinn is Kendellen's replacement at open-side flanker.

It is all change in the back row with Tom Ahern in for Jack O'Donoghue at blind-side, while Gavin Coombes starts in place of Brian Gleeson at number eight.

Ben O'Connor starts at full back due to a thigh injury picked up by Mike Haley.

Munster: O'Connor; Daly, Kelly, Nankivell, Abrahams; Crowley, Coughlan; Loughman, Scannell (Capt), Jager; Kleyn, Wycherley; Ahern, Quinn, Coombes.

Replacements: Barron, Wycherley, Foxe, O'Donoghue, Gleeson, Patterson, Butler, O'Brien.

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Ins: JJ Hanrahan (Connacht), Dan Kelly (Leicester Tigers)

Outs: Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Stephen Archer and Dave Kilcoyne (all retired)

Last season: Quarter-finalists

First five games: Scarlets (A), Cardiff (H), Edinburgh (H), Leinster (A), Connacht (H)

Prospects: Perhaps another strange season down at Thomond Park was best epitomised by the side's URC exit, the always bizarre sight of a place-kicks competition against the Sharks bringing the curtain down on their season in Durban.

It had been a tumultuous campaign up to that point with the man who delivered the URC title in 2023, Graham Rowntree, departing in October after a run of two wins from six to start the season.

Head of rugby operations Ian Costello took temporary charge of things and delivered a huge victory away to La Rochelle in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, before the side ultimately confirmed their place in this season's top-tier European competition with a sixth-place finish in the league.

Similar to Stuart Lancaster's arrival in Connacht, the hiring of Clayton McMillan represents something of a coaching coup. The New Zealander arrives after taking the Chiefs to three successive Super Rugby finals and his ticket is boosted by having Alex Codling available to work with the forwards full-time after splitting his time with the women's national side last season.

Dan Kelly, Irish-qualified once again after a solitary England cap in 2021, is an intriguing addition, while JJ Hanrahan returns to back up Jack Crowley for what will be a third spell with his native province.

Quite apart from a new head coach, the retirements of Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Stephen Archer and Dave Kilcoyne, as well as the departure of Rory Scannell, give the feeling of a new era in the southern province.

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Craig Casey will captain Munster for the first time when they face Scarlets at Parc y Scarlets in their opening URC fixture on Saturday (17:30 BST).

Scrum-half Casey, who skippered Ireland on their summer tour, will lead the side in the absence of Tadhg Beirne and will form a half-back partnership with the returning JJ Hanrahan as new coach Clayton McMillan names his first side in a competitive fixture since his arrival in the province.

Niall Scannell is in line to make his 200th appearance at hooker, while centre Dan Kelly makes his debut having joined from Leicester Tigers.

Springbok Jean Kleyn is back in the second row having recovered from a knee injury on international duty.

Munster: Haley; Daly, Kelly, Nankivell, Abrahams; Hanrahan, Casey (capt); Loughman, Scannell, Jager; Kleyn, Wycherley; O'Donoghue, Kendellen, Gleeson.

Replacements: Barron, Wycherley, Bartley, Ahern, Coombes, Patterson, Crowley, O'Brien.