Rugby: On the same day Leinster lost their driving force in Jamie Heaslip, Munster welcome back their heartbeat in Paul O'Connell, who will start his first game in 51 weeks against Toulon on Sunday at the Stade Mayol.
The lock has been named in the secondrow alongside a familiar face in the trenches, Donncha O’Callaghan, shifting Mick O’Driscoll to the bench for the game in France.
It is one of three changes from the side that played Ospreys home and away, with John Hayes starting ahead of Tony Buckley in the frontrow and Peter Stringer getting the nod over Tomás O’Leary at scrumhalf.
Pool 3 is wide open, with all four teams still capable of qualifying, so second-placed Munster are looking for nothing less than a win at the weekend.
“As far as we're concerned, it's a case of winning on Sunday, simple as that,” said O'Callaghan this week. “This is what we're all about. It's really what we were reared on in terms of the professional club game. The Heineken Cup is where it's at.
“It was the first international club competition. It's different to the League (Magners) obviously because it's knockout rugby. You could lose three, four games in the Magners and still qualify for the knockout stage. You don't have that leeway in this competition.”
So the pressure is on but for a man about to earn his 177th provincial cap, it’s all part of the game.
“We've been here before, in this situation. There was Gloucester in Thomond Park. There was the quarter final away to Stade in a gale force wind in our faces. There was Perpignan away. People might write us off. We'll never do that to ourselves.”
Toulon:
R Wulf, P Sackey, G Lovobalavu, F Contepomi, C Loamanu, J Wilkinson, P Mignoni, L Emmanuelli, S Bruno, D Kubriashvili, C Samson, D Schofield, J Fernandez Lobbe, G Smith, J van Niekerk [capt].
Replacements:
J Orioli, S Taumoepeau, M Merabet, J El Abd, F Auelua, R Lamont, L Magnaval, K Chesney.
Munster:
P Warwick, D Howlett, K Earls, S Tuitupou, J Murphy, R O’Gara, P Stringer, W du Preez, D Varley, J Hayes, D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell, J Coughlan, D Wallace, D Leamy [capt].
Replacements:
M Sherry, D Hurley, T Buckley, M O’Driscoll, D Ryan, N Ronan, T O’Leary, L Mafi.
Referee:
Dave Pearson (England)
