Not one to dwell on the past, Alan Gaffney will push all sentiment aside when his Saracens side play host to Munster on Sunday.

Gaffney, who will take up a role with Leinster at the end of the season, is aiming to lead the London club to a first ever European final, regardless of who stands in his way.

The Australian guided Munster to consecutive semi-finals in 2003 and 2004 during his successful spell at Thomond Park and while he has fond memories of his time in Limerick, is fully focused on the job in hand.

If Gaffney is to succeed, he will need to neutralise Declan Kidney's pack and avoid giving the likes of Ronan O'Gara any sort of platform.

"Munster have always had desire and you'd expect that desire to wane but it hasn't," he added. "O'Gara contributes so much to what Munster do but it's the forwards who put Munster on the front foot and give Ronan the ability to play on the front foot.

"I don't think there's a better team in the world at playing on the front foot, whatever style of game. We know we must compete up front and that's where the battle will be won or lost. That will effect whether Ronan plays the game he wants."

Consistency is the key for Gaffney, and two consecutive defeats in the English Premiership have rankled. But Gaffney remains convinced his side can regain the heights that saw them cruise past the Ospreys in the last eight.

"The players themselves set a target last year that they wanted to be a Saracens team that climbs to another level," he said.
 
"Losing to Gloucester and Wasps in the Premiership over the last two weekends has been disappointing for us but generally we're getting there."