Munster v Bulls, Thomond Park, Saturday, 7.35pm – Live on: TG4 & Premier Sports
When the Munster coaches, players and supporters cast a glance over the first five rounds of this season’s URC they could hardly have envisaged this game would have left them in such desperate need for a win. However, that is the consequence of three defeats in their opening four matches.
As a result, Munster sit 12th on six points. To put this in context, in the corresponding four games last season – ie at home to the Dragons and Cardiff, away to Zebre and away to Connacht – Munster picked up 16 points in ultimately finishing sixth. In other words, Munster will have to generate 10 points or so from elsewhere this season if they are even to make the top eight and qualify for next season’s Champions Cup.
Last season, the first under this 18-match URC format, Munster won their opening four games and had accumulated 19 points out of a possible 20 in the opening four rounds. Even then, they lost seven matches and finished sixth, while Glasgow lost eight and finished eighth. The Scottish side missed out on the Champions Cup due to Ospreys being the highest-placed Welsh side in ninth and there are still two qualifying spots ring-fenced for the teams that top the Welsh and Scottish/Italian shields.
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Already Munster have a reduced margin for error and still have to face both Leinster and Ulster at home and away, all four South African sides, beginning with this crunch game against last season’s beaten finalists, and trips to Edinburgh and Benetton, who have won their first three home games.
They also have Connacht at home at the end of November as well as home games against the Ospreys and Scarlets during the Six Nations window, and Glasgow immediately after it. All of them look absolutely must-win already, not least as Munster finish their regular season campaign with a trek to South Africa for matches against the Stormers and the Sharks. You wouldn’t want to be heading off on that safari hunting two wins to salvage a top eight place!
All in all then, this looks like a must-win match, not least as it’s their first game of the season on the relaid Thomond Park pitch, a hybrid surface akin to the Aviva Stadium.
Graham Rowntree has made six changes in personnel to the starting side in the defeat by Connacht. As expected Shane Daly, a try scorer in last Emerging Ireland’s win over the Cheetahs last Sunday, and Calvin Nash, who also played in Bloemfontein, come into the back three, where Patrick Campbell switches to fullback. It will be Daly’s 50th appearance for Munster.
Craig Casey is restored at scrumhalf, with Joey Carbery reverting to outhalf. Jeremy Loughman and Stephen Archer are both promoted to the frontrow, and the other change in personnel sees the 19-year-old academy lock Edwin Edogbo named for his first start, with Tadhg Beirne shifting to the backrow, where Peter O’Mahony has been passed fit.
Five more players who featured in last Sunday’s win over the Cheetahs and flew home economy class to land on Tuesday and link up with the rest of the squad on Thursday – Diarmuid Barron, Roman Salanoa, Man of the Match Tom Ahern, John Hodnett and Jack Crowley – are named among the replacements, which has a 6-2 split.
Jake White has made six changes to the Bulls side which suffered their first defeat of the season away to Glasgow last weekend. Simphiwe Matanzima starts at loosehead prop, with Johan Goosen (outhalf) and Harold Vorster (inside centre) also returning after Goosen was spared playing on Scotstoun’s 4G surface as a precautionary measure. Mornay Smith returns at tighthead, as does openside WJ Steenkamp and scrumhalf Embrose Papier.
The Bulls won only three of 11 away matches in the URC last season, albeit this did include their eye-catching semi-final victory over Leinster in the RDS.
Their three-game winning run at the expense of the Lions, Edinburgh and Connacht came to an end with last week’s 35-21 loss in Glasgow, which didn’t flatter the home side. The Warriors exposed the Bulls on the edges but this required supremely well executed handling skills in the face of a blitz defence, something which hasn’t been Munster’s hallmark this season to date.
Unhelpfully, too, the forecast is for heavy showers, wind and even the risk of some thunderstorms, spot flooding and hail. Having lost out in emotional energy and intensity to Connacht, all the indications are therefore that O’Mahony and co will have to roll up their sleeves in time-honoured fashion in their hour of need, and set a different tone from the outset.
MUNSTER: Patrick Campbell; Calvin Nash, Malakai Fekitoa, Dan Goggin, Shane Daly; Joey Carbery, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Edwin Edogbo; Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Dave Kilcoyne, Roman Salanoa, Tom Ahern, Jack O’Donoghue, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, John Hodnett.
BULLS: Kurt-lee Arendse; Cornel Hendricks, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Wandisile Simelane; Johan Goosen, Embrose Papier; Simphiwe Matanzima, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Mornay Smith; Walt Steenkamp, Run Nortje; Marcell Coetzee (capt), WJ Steenkamp, Elrigh Louw.
Replacements: Bismarck Du Plessis, Dylan Smith, Jacques van Rooyen, Ruan Vermaak, Marco Van Staden, Zak Burger, Chris Smith, David Kriel.
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU).
Forecast: Munster to win.
