Peter O’Mahony Returns to Munster’s Starting XV for All Blacks XV Encounter

Ireland international Peter O’Mahony is set to start for Munster against the All Blacks XV at Thomand Park this Saturday, marking his return from a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the team’s previous three games. The 35-year-old flanker, who has also been named in the Ireland squad for their upcoming fixture against New Zealand in Dublin next week, chose not to attend the warm weather training camp in Portugal. Instead, he remained at home to focus on recovering his match fitness with his club. This upcoming game will be O’Mahony’s second appearance this season, following a hamstring injury sustained against Ospreys earlier this month, which had sidelined him for the preceding three matches. Interim head coach Ian Costello has implemented eight changes to the squad following Saturday’s 41-24 URC loss to the Sharks, with O’Mahony’s return being one of them. The aforementioned match marked the conclusion of Graham Rowntree’s five-year tenure as head coach of the province. Diarmuid Barron will lead the team as captain, and Diarmuid Kilgallen is set to make his much-anticipated Munster debut on the left wing, having been unavailable at the season’s commencement due to injury. Given that regular starters Craig Casey and Jack Crowley are currently with the Ireland squad, Ethan Coughlan and Billy Burns will form the new half-back pairing. Scrum-half Paddy Patterson is poised to make his first appearance since New Year’s Day, having recovered from a long-term knee injury, and has been listed among the substitute players. The 23-man squad features six academy players, including Evan O’Connell, who is expected to make his initial Munster appearance from the bench. The Munster starting lineup is as follows: Mike Haley; Shay McCarthy, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Billy Burns, Ethan Coughlan; John Ryan, Diarmuid Barron (captain), Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern; Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes. Substitutes for Munster include: Niall Scannell, Kieran Ryan, Ronan Foxe, Evan O’Connell, Ruadhán Quinn, Paddy Patterson, Tony Butler, Ben O’Connor. The All Blacks XV starting lineup consists of: George Bower, Brodie McAlister, George Dyer, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Fabian Holland, Oliver Haig, Du’Plessis Kirifi (captain), Devan Flanders, Finlay Christie, Harry Plummer, Kini Naholo, Quinn Tupaea, AJ Lam, Chay Fihaki, Shaun Stevenson. The All Blacks XV replacements are: Bradley Slater, Xavier Numia, Marcel Renata, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Corey Kellow, Noah Hotham, Josh Jacomb, Ruben Love.