Derby date is confirmed but Reds suffer injury blow with Knox

GUINNESS PRO14 organisers have confirmed that Munster will host Leinster at Thomond Park on Saturday week.

The game was originally fixed for St Stephen’s Day, but was postponed after a number of false positives were detected in the Leinster camp.

The temporary suspension of the Heineken Champions Cup has opened up two weekends for the tournament. This weekend, Glasgow Warriors take on Edinburgh while the Irish derby has been fixed for January 23 with a 7.35 kick-off time.

Leinster named a weakened team for the initial fixture, but both sides are likely to be at full strength for the rescheduled game.

Munster will be without Keynan Knox (right) who suffered a knee injury in their win over Connacht last weekend and now faces a spell on the sidelines.

The South African-born tighthead finished the game and stood tall in the all-important final scrum of the game, but a subsequent MRI scan revealed an injury that will keep him out for the foreseeable future. Munster have no game this weekend, but trained in Limerick yesterday ahead of next week’s clash with Leinster.

Mike Haley and Jean Kleyn are following the return-to-play protocols after suffering head injuries in the game, while Dave Kilcoyne and Jack O’Donoghue will train this week after picking up minor injuries last week.

The province issued no update on injured out-half Joey Carbery who remains listed among their longterm absentees with an ankle issue.

Meanwhile, former Ireland U-20 lock Jack Regan has been handed a shot at Super Rugby by New Zealand franchise, the Highlanders.

Roster

The Offaly native, son of All-Ireland winner Daithí, impressed while playing in the Mitre 10 Cup for Otago last year and has been added to Tony Brown’s roster for Super Rugby Aotearoa, which kicks off on February 26.

The 23-year-old has been drafted in as injury cover for lock Pari Pari Parkinson who is out with an ankle problem until April.

He follows in the footsteps of Irish props Oli Jager and Conan O’Donnell, who have lined out for New Zealand franchises in recent years, while legendary Ireland full-back Rob Kearney will play for Western Force in this year’s Australian edition of the tournament. Kearney has linked up with his new team-mates after a fortnight in quarantine.

“I’m very lucky that I’ve come from some teams and some cultures where we’ve won a lot of trophies and silverware,” he said.

“Hopefully, I can incorporate some of that winning mindset and what it takes to be a real high-performance team.”