O'Gara handed Munster captaincy

Veteran Ireland and B&I Lions flyhalf Ronan O'Gara will captain Munster in Saturday night's crucial Magners League match-up with fellow Irish team, Connacht, at Thomond Park.

Munster, fresh off their stunning 37-14 Heineken Cup away win over Perpignan last Sunday, will be full of confidence heading into this weekend's action - even though they are missing nine players from that historic victory.

However, the man who pulled the strings at the Stade Aime Giral, star No.10 Ronan O'Gara, will lead Munster into battle on Saturday and two of last week's try-scorers, Denis Hurley and Jean de Villiers, have also been included in the starting line-up.

Paul Warwick, the Man of the Match against Perpignan, can be called on from the bench should the need arise, but Denis Leamy - who picked up a season-ending knee injury last weekend - is obviously missing from the matchday 22.

Looking ahead to the weekend's clash, veteran lock Mick O'Driscoll commented: "We're not at all happy with our form in the Magners League.

"It's something we've spoken about and need to address. This game provides not only the chance to do that but also gives lads the opportunity to put their hands up."

Speaking about Munster's opponents on Saturday, O'Driscoll added: "Connacht have done every bit as well as us in Europe these past weeks and they'll be full of confidence. So no, we know what we'll be up against. These games are never a 'gimme'... they're never easy."

Looking at the Connacht starting line-up that will oppose Munster, fullback Gavin Duffy will captain the visitors, whilst experienced hooker Adrian Flavin will serve as his vice-captain.

Elsewhere, centre Keith Matthews and former Wasps and Ireland openside flanker Johnny O'Connor return to the side after injury.

The visitors - who have picked up just two wins in eight Magners League starts this season - will be looking to build on their back-to-back Amlin Challenge Cup victories over Worcester Warriors during the past fortnight.

The teams:

Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Denis Hurley, 13 Tom Gleeson, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Ian Dowling, 10 Ronan O'Gara (captain), 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Julien Brugnaut, 7 Damian Varley, 6 Tony Buckley, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Billy Holland, 2 Niall Ronan, 1 N Williams.
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 James Coughlan, 19 Tommy O'Donnell, 20 Duncan Williams, 21 Paul Warwick, 22 Scott Deasy.

Connacht: 15 Gavin Duffy (captain), 14 Troy Nathan, 13 Niva Ta'auso, 12 Keith Matthews, 11 Liam Bibo, 10 Miah Nikora, 9 Conor O'Loughlin, 8 George Naoupu, 7 Johnny O'Connor, 6 Mike McComish, 5 Bernie Upton, 4 Michael Swift, 3 Jamie Hagan, 2 Adrian Flavin, 1 Brett Wilkinson.
Replacements: 16 Dermot Murphy, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Andrew Browne, 19 Ray Ofisa, 20 Ian Keatley, 21 Kierran Campbell, 22 Aidan Wynne.

Date: Saturday, December 26
Venue: Thomond Park
Kick-off: 19.30
Referee: Alain Rolland
Assistant referees: Colin Stanley, John Carvill
Television match official: David Keane