Munster v Saracens
Thomond Park, 5.30pm, RTÉ 2 (Premier Sports 1)
It’s not, no matter how much Munster try to crank it up, a throwback to the winter Saturdays of yore when Heineken Cup survival was dependent on winning an arm-wrestle with a marauding English side, but at the same time there is a fair bit riding on this clash with Saracens for Tadhg Beirne’s men at Thomond Park.
The tinkering with the qualifying system has lessened the jeopardy – 16 of the 24 teams will go through to the knockout stages and six of them are going into this third round without a single match point – and while Munster are not guaranteed qualification in many ways what’s being played out is securing home advantage when the business end starts in April.
Munster don’t want to be heading to Northampton Saints next week needing a big result – albeit the quest for that task, if it arises, would be more akin to the old days – and there is also a huge desire to produce the goods after the 28-7 home loss to Leinster at Christmas.
There seems to be no rush in appointing a successor to head coach Graham Rowntree, and while advancement, or indeed outright success, in the URC is welcome, Munster teams are always judged on what they produce in the Champions Cup.
An opening round 33-7 bonus point win at Thomond over a Stade Francais side who remain pointless after being turned over 28-17 in Paris, was followed by a 16-14 loss in Castres and attack coach Mike Prendergast – who remains the favourite to take the top job after Rowntree’s exit – knows another defeat could be very costly.
There has never been much between Munster and Saracens down through the years. Munster have won six and lost five between them; Saracens have scored 17 tries and conceded 15 in those games.
Prendergast believes the deciding factor for his men will be making the most of the chances they create against a good defence. “It goes back to being able to really get on top of those moments when those opportunities occur because over the last two months we’ve actually come up against a lot of teams with a high line speed down in South Africa, Leinster and it will happen this weekend against Saracens as well,” said Prendergast.
“So it takes a lot to break them down, technically, tactically, everything, and we have been doing that. Now we need to finish it.”
Mark McCall and Saracens have tended to focus on a clinical edge rather than emotion in achieving all their success, but the former Ulster player and coach has been cranking it up a bit this week as the north Londoners seek a first ever win in Thomond Park.
“We’ve been to Thomond Park a couple of times since I’ve been at Saracens. We haven’t won there yet,” he said. “I know how tough a place it is to go to because I’ve been there plenty of times myself as a player and then as a coach, and not been too successful to be honest. But it’s a great, great place to go.
“I want the players to enjoy it and to not play within themselves because of it. I think those are the occasions that you want to go and play with a little bit of freedom like they have been doing over the last three or four weeks.
“Sometimes when you are at an away ground like that the atmosphere can make you feel that the game is going in a different way to the way it actually is. You have to see things for what they are and that is where the team come into it and supporting each other. You want to understand what is actually happening in the match, not what your mind is telling you because the crowd are a bit noisier.”
There has been mixed news on the injury front for Munster. They gave Peter O’Mahony until Thursday before making a call on his calf injury but in the end had to rule out their former skipper.
However, Conor Murray has recovered from the elbow injury which has sidelined him since October, his return a welcome boost given that his Irish colleague Craig Casey is going to be sidelined for a few months. Paddy Patterson has been preferred to Ethan Coughlan to provide the scrumhalf cover on the bench.
Murray will partner Jack Crowley, who was somewhat controversially rested for the home festive clash against Leinster, in an otherwise unchanged backline.
Up front the only change is in the back row where Jack O’Donoghue comes in at blindside and Tom Ahern drops to a bench that has a 6-2 split, with Patterson and Billy Burns providing the backline cover, with Brian Gleeson beefing up their forward cover.
Saracens are coming fully loaded, making just two changes to the side which defeated Bristol Bears last weekend, with Welsh international Liam Willians coming back on the right wing, while former Newcastle Falcons loose head Phil Brantingham comes back into the starting side as they bid to maintain their winning start to this season’s competition.
Munster: M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, R Scannell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Murray; D Bleuler, N Scannell, O Jager; F Wycherley, T Beirne capt, J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, G Coombes. Replacements: D Barron, J Ryan, S Archer, T Ahern, J Hodnett, P Patterson, B Burns, B Gleeson.
Saracens: E Daly; L Williams, A Lozowski, N Tompkins, L Cinti; F Burke, I van Zyl; P Brantingham, J George, M Riccioni, M Itoje capt, H Wilson, JM Gonzalez, B Earl, T Willis. Replacements: T Dan, E Mawi, A Clarey, M Eke, N Michelow, G Simpson, O Hartley, T Elliott.
Referee: P Brousset (France).
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