It’s difficult to recall Munster ever having a game in October that fell into the “must-win” category but the importance of getting a result from this clash with Ulster can’t be overstated after a far from smooth handover of the reins from Johann van Graan to Graham Rowntree.
A fifth loss in the opening block of seven games would, even at this early stage, leave Munster in serious danger of not making next season’s Champions Cup in a campaign, lest not forget, which is going to end with two away matches in South Africa next April.
Munster fans will take some solace from all four defeats this season coming away from home and victories over Zebre in Musgrave Park and Bulls at Thomond Park have kept them within touch of the top eight, while the spirited display at Aviva Stadium against Leinster last weekend rightly gave cause for further optimism.
It’s pretty cruel then that just when they need stability that they are hit with a full-blown second-row crisis that apparently is not confined to the short term.
They knew they would be without Tadhg Beirne for the autumn internationals, while Gavin Coombes, who can also cover the second row, is also away on Irish duty. And with Fineen Wycherley already out with a shoulder injury and the emerging 22-year-old Paddy Kelly, who has yet to make his senior debut, missing with a head injury, the last thing they needed this week was to lose both Jean Kleyn and Tom Ahern.
Kleyn is set be out for several weeks with a rib injury, while Ahern, who had been included in the Ireland A squad after impressing for Emerging Ireland in Bloemfontein, is due to meet a specialist about a shoulder injury which looks set to sideline him for some time. They have drafted in former Glasgow Warriors lock Kiran McDonald from financially-troubled Wasps on loan but he doesn’t feature in the squad to play Ulster.
The net result is they have four locks in the squad today, three who have started one game and a fourth, 18-year-old Evan O’Connell from Limerick, nephew of Paul O’Connell, who will become their youngest player in the professional era sprung from the bench, just weeks after another 18-year-old Ruadhan Quinn achieved that milestone.
And with Rassie Erasmus this week casting serious doubt on RG Snyman playing in next year’s World Cup for South Africa, it doesn’t look like Rowntree’s second-row crisis is going to be resolved any time soon.
Ulster, themselves with plenty to ponder amid growing speculation that they will forfeit points after their squad was struck down by gastroenteritis which prevented their match against Sharks taking place in Durban last weekend, will undoubtedly try to target the inexperience of Edwin Edogbo and Eoin O’Connor in the second row.
Ulster, who will see replacement hooker John Andrew make his 100th appearance and Scottish prop Rory Sutherland his debut off the bench after being signed from England’s other financially-stricken club Worcester Warriors, have not won in Thomond Park since 2014, and head coach Dan McFarland is not getting blindsided by Munster woes.
“A team like Munster has certain qualities that don’t go away. They might not have played their best rugby in the first part of the season but there are strands within their game that make them extremely competitive, and I expect nothing less at the weekend,” said McFarland.
Both teams make nine changes from last time out. Jack Crowley switches to out-half after impressing at full-back against Leinster, while Alex Kendellen returns to the Munster back row following a concussion in the opening round loss away to Cardiff, and John Ryan, back on loan following Wasps’ collapse, makes his 198th appearance in the front row. Simon Zebo has recovered from a calf injury and is on the bench for a game which attack coach Mike Prendergast hopes they can build on recent displays.
“We are not where we want to be yet but you can see glimpses of it in the Bulls game, what helped was winning collisions and our ruck was quite good as well,” said Prendergast. “That goes a long way. You could see glimpses of it in the Leinster game as well, against a very good defensive side. It takes time but there is a big buy-in which is massively important.”
Munster: M Haley; S Daly, M Fekitoa, R Scannell, P Campbell; J Crowley, P Patterson; D Kilcoyne, D Barron, J Ryan; E Edogbo, E O’Connor; J O’Donoghue (c), J Hodnett, A Kendellen. Replacements: N Scannell, J Wycherley, R Salanoa, E O’Connell, C Hurley, N Cronin, B Healy, S Zebo.
Ulster: S Moore; B Moxham, J Hume, L Marshall, E McIlroy; B Burns, N Doak; A Warwick, T Stewart, M Moore; A O’Connor (c), S Carter; D McCann, S Reffell, D Vermeulen. Replacements: J Andrew, R Sutherland, G Milasinovich, C Izuchukwu, J Murphy, J Cooney, A Curtis, C Gilroy.
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU).
