MUNSTER NEWS:DENIS FOGARTY will earn his first Heineken Cup start tomorrow when Munster take on Treviso in their vital Pool One clash at Thomond Park. The 26-year-old Tipperary man will come straight into the team in place of the injured Jerry Flannery, who tore a calf muscle in training on Tuesday.
For Fogarty, tomorrow’s match will allow him the opportunity to answer his critics following a shaky lineout display against Leinster at the RDS earlier this month.
Speaking in Cork yesterday, Fogarty said: “Looking back at that Leinster game I thought I threw well. All I can do is throw to where it’s going to be called. If they (the opposition) go up against it I can’t do anything about it, and it did happen in that game a lot.
“They defended against us well. I did get a bit of stick for it but I put my hands up for the throws I over-threw. You make a mistake and you just get on with things. If things go wrong, they go wrong and you just have to make up for it on the pitch after that. So I’m looking forward to it and it’s up to me now. Things do go wrong but I’m quite confident the lineout is going to work.”
Fogarty also revealed he is hoping to catch the eye of Ireland coach Declan Kidney and force his way into the reckoning with a solid display: “It’s about game time now. I have to get on the pitch and this is another opportunity for me to put my hand up for Declan Kidney and say ‘I’m here’.”
On the subject of Flannery’s injury, meanwhile, Munster coach Tony McGahan revealed the tear was only a grade-one injury but was unable to give any exact date for the player’s return.
“It’s one of those injuries that is difficult to nail down,” said McGahan. “It can take any number of weeks to heal and it can come back at any time. But we have an excellent medical team here and Jerry is a thorough professional, so when he comes back he will certainly be ready to play.
“Denis has worked extremely hard over the last 18 months to get the opportunity to start a Heineken Cup game at home, so I’m sure he’s absolutely thrilled and looking forward to the opportunity.”
Reflecting the Leinster debacle, McGahan also feels Fogarty carried the can for what was in essence a collective problem: “The perception is that it’s the hooker’s fault all the time. Really, it’s the actual call itself, the lifters, the timing, a multitude of things, and the throw really is the one that is most analysed. So it’s a number of factors and we need to make sure we work really hard.”
Munster will name their starting XV and replacements tomorrow at lunch-time. There are no other changes expected from the side which went down in Northampton last weekend.
