Keith Earls points to fear factor driving Munster

Keith Earls

said that the fear of not featuring in next season’s Champions Cup is driving

Munster

to a big finish to their Pro12 campaign.

Munster will play their final home match of the season when they travel to Galway tomorrow to take on Connacht at the Sportsground.

Last year’s Pro12 finalists face a battle to nail a place in next season’s Champions Cup but a win in Galway would be a huge boost and also set themselves up for a league semi-final spot.

Earls said the prospect of missing Europe’s premier competition next season was not far from their minds.

Scary

“It’s scary, and that’s something that has to be a motivating factor for us. It’s win or bust now.

“We are not ruling out top four yet. At a minimum we want to be in top four, and if not we want to qualify for Europe, because it could be a long season if we are not next year. That’s where Munster want to be. We want to play in front of full houses in Thomond Park on European days.”

He said it was difficult last weekend when the Champions Cup quarter-finals were on.

“It’s been tough. That’s where Munster have been in the last 15 years or whatever. You are used to Limerick having Munster flags all around the place. Thomond Park buzzing if you are in the quarter-final at home. It’s tough going, and hopefully we can get back there.

“I watched a couple of the games. I watched Saracens versus Northampton, I watched Racing Metro versus Toulon. It’s tough, it’s not the same. It nearly doesn’t feel like European rugby because you are not in it. But it’s just the way it is.”

He knows a win in Galway tomorrow would have them on track to meet their targets but he said it would take a big performance to thwart Pat Lam’s men.

Earls, with 30 tries in his 123 Munster appearances, admitted he liked the free-flowing style which Connacht have been producing this season.

"It's been impressive. It's high risk, but they are pulling it off. It's the same game-plan Rob Penney brought in to us, and obviously we didn't take to it as well as Connacht. It's obviously good to the eye, people to watch it."