Munster boosted as promising lock returns to action

NEWS: Munster have been boosted by the return to training of power forward Edwin Edogbo after being sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury.

The 22-year-old highly-rated lock has missed the last 17 months of action.

According to a statement by Munster, his availability for selection against Benetton at Musgrave Park on Friday will be “determined as the week progresses”.

Munster will be without injured front rowers Diarmuid Barron and Oli Jager for Friday’s final round of the United Rugby Championship.

Barron and Jager missed last Friday’s bonus-point derby win over Ulster at Thomond Park and their respective shoulder and head injuries will also keep them out of the sell-out Round 18 clash with their play-off rivals.

Both sides need a victory to be sure of a top-eight finish, to both progress to the knockout stages and qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.

Munster kept their season alive with a 38-20 win over the Ulstermen, and the match saw Tom Ahern, Stephen Archer, John Hodnett, Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony, and Josh Wycherley all return from injury to play their parts as Munster snapped a three-game losing streak.

Successful returns for veteran trio Archer, Murray, and O’Mahony also clear the way for them to finish their long Munster careers in their final home games before departing this summer.

Archer and O’Mahony are retiring while Murray is set for a move overseas, and with a top-four finish in the table now out of reach, this Friday in Cork represents their last games on home turf.

Players that are still in rehab include Jeremy Loughman (hamstring), Ethan Coughlan (hamstring), Billy Burns (shoulder), Shane Daly (hamstring), and Roman Salanoa (knee).