Springbok Van der Merwe and ex-England prop Brookes set for Munster debuts against Glasgow

Munster open their United Rugby Championship campaign at Thomond Park on Saturday against Glasgow Warriors with two high-profile new signings ready to make their competitive debuts under head coach Clayton McMillan.

Former England tighthead prop Kieran Brookes has been handed a starting berth, while Springbok hooker Marnus van der Merwe is set to feature from the bench. Academy fly-half Charlie O’Shea is also named among the replacements, completing a trio of potential debutants that spans very different stages of the professional game.

“We have three players set for their Munster debuts in Kieran, Marnus and Charlie,” McMillan said. “They are all at different stages of their careers but it’s always special making your debut so we want to make it a memorable one for them.”

The selection also shines a light on 21-year-old scrum-half Ben O’Donovan, who earns his first start for the province after catching the eye since joining the academy earlier this year. “Ben O’Donovan will make his first start at scrum-half and he has really taken his chance since joining our Academy at the start of the year,” McMillan noted.

Munster’s commitment to youth extends further into the replacements, where academy half-backs Jake O’Riordan and O’Shea are both included. McMillan was particularly complimentary about O’Shea’s rapid adjustment. “For Charlie in particular, he has had a whirlwind few weeks since joining us but he has taken it all in his stride.”

McMillan, beginning his first URC campaign in charge, struck an upbeat tone ahead of the fixture. “There is always an extra bit of excitement and anticipation ahead of the first game of the season and the players are itching to get back on the pitch at Thomond Park,” he said, adding that a positive pre-season — which included community training sessions in Thurles, Newcastle West and Ballina-Killaloe — now needed to translate into results against one of the competition’s leading sides.

On the injury front, McMillan confirmed that Shane Daly and Tom Ahern were unavailable this week but are “progressing positively”.