Munster add out-half to Champions Cup squad

Munster Academy out-half Ben Healy has been nominated by Head Coach Johann van Graan to the province’s Champions Cup squad ahead of Saturday’s competition opener away to Ospreys.

Pending IRFU approval, Healy will be swapped in for Alex Wootton.

Healy is a former Nenagh Ormond and Glenstal Abbey man and plays his club rugby with Garryowen. He helped the Ireland U20s to the Grand Slam last year.

Healy will become the third Greencore Munster Rugby Academy player registered in the 41-man squad, joining prop Keynan Knox and back-row forward Jack O’Sullivan.

Munster will face Saracens, Racing 92 and Ospreys in the Pool stages of the 2019/20 Champions Cup with some mouthwatering Pool games to be played over the next three months.

The registration of incoming Swap Players can be reversed before Thursday, March 26, 2020. Each player can only replace the player who was initially nominated as his incoming Swap Player.

Each club may also register up to five Additional Players during the pool stages, but none during the knockout stages, each to replace a player previously registered. A minimum of three Additional Players must be front row players.

For the knockout stages, clubs can add up to three players to supplement their squads.

Champions Cup Squad

Forwards: James Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Jeremy Loughman, Liam O’Connor, Rhys Marshall, Kevin O’Byrne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer, Keynan Knox, John Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Billy Holland, Jed Holloway, Jean Kleyn, Darren O’Shea, Fineen Wycherley, Arno Botha, Chris Cloete, Tommy O’Donnell, Jack O’Donoghue, Peter O’Mahony, Jack O’Sullivan, CJ Stander.

Backs: Mike Haley, Andrew Conway, Shane Daly, Keith Earls, Calvin Nash, Darren Sweetnam, Sammy Arnold, Chris Farrell, Dan Goggin, Rory Scannell, Tyler Bleyendaal, Joey Carbery, JJ Hanrahan, Ben Healy, Neil Cronin, Alby Mathewson, Nick McCarthy, Conor Murray.