AT THIS STAGE last season, Munster were facing into the URC play-offs without any great expectations that they would end up with the trophy.
Graham Rowntree’s men knew they would almost certainly have to win three games on the road if they were to claim the trophy. This year, it’s different as Munster head into tonight’s quarter-final against the Ospreys [KO 7.35pm, RTÉ ] at Thomond Park.
Last year, Glasgow were favourites for the quarter-final in Scotstoun but a first-half red card for Tom Jordan helped Munster’s cause and they earned a 16-5 win. Leinster were favourites for the semi-final in Dublin but rested many of their key players and Munster produced a stunning finish for Jack Crowley’s drop-goal to win it 16-15.
The Stormers were favourites for the final on their home patch in Cape Town but by that stage, Munster sensed they were destined to win the title and did so thanks partly to an impressive late converted John Hodnett try for a 19-14 scoreline.
Running back through those games serves as a reminder of how fine the margins were. A red card and Leinster’s selection helped Munster along the way but there can be no doubting that they were deserved champions in the end. They played some excellent rugby and doing it all away from home was a huge achievement.
Things look different a year later. Munster aren’t quite the URC favourites at this point, with Leinster still in that position despite the prospect of being away in the semi-final and final if they make it past Ulster at home this weekend.
But Rowntree’s side are next on the list of favoured teams because of the prospect of being at Thomond Park for all three knock-out games. Their form at the famous Limerick venue has been patchy but it’s still extremely welcome to potentially have home advantage all the way through. In credit to Munster, they earned it by nabbing top spot in the URC table thanks to their current nine-game winning streak.
The performances haven’t been perfect, far from it in some instances, but this Munster team have a handy habit of delivering patches of brilliance when they need them most. They also went to South Africa and earned 10 match points from a possible 10 against the Bulls and the Lions, with those two performances of a more complete nature.
Season-ending injuries for Joey Carbery and Tom Ahern – key men on what has been a hugely impactful Munster bench in recent times – have been badly timed this week, while influential centre Alex Nankivell is still sidelined and Rory Scannell is another whose campaign is over after a nasty ankle injury.
Throw in Jean Kleyn, Dave Kilcoyne, Roman Salanoa, and Pa Campbell and there’s a fair bit of talent unavailable heading into the play-offs.
And yet, the return of hooker Diarmuid Barron on the bench this evening is a big boost. He has become an important figure in recent seasons, captaining the side at times, although it should be said that Niall Scannell has been playing some of his best rugby in the Tipp man’s absence.
Getting Antoine Frisch back in midfield this week is also vital given the injuries for Nankivell and Scannell, with the Frenchman’s creative streak often making a difference to the Munster attack. These are the closing stages of Frisch’s time with the province before he moves on to Toulon, so he’ll look to finish with a bang.
The same can be said of second row RG Snyman, who tends to come into his own in play-off rugby. He played his part in last season’s URC success and has been pivotal to the Springboks’ back-to-back World Cup runs. Munster fans expect the best from him now before he heads for Leinster this summer.
Rowntree has brought Gavin Coombes and John Hodnett into the starting XV for this one, with both of those men having been used in bench impact roles recently. Munster clearly hope to put this one to bed as a contest as early as possible.
While they know there are big improvements still to make in their performances, Munster’s winning momentum is a great thing to have right now.
They should have too much for the Ospreys this evening. Toby Booth’s men have done an excellent job of getting into the play-offs and Munster will have discussed the quality of the likes of Dewi Lake, Justin Tipuric and Jac Morgan.
Nothing can be taken for granted in knock-out rugby but Munster are the deserved 15-point favourites for this one. Having earned home comforts, they need to take full advantage and show a ruthless streak against the Ospreys.
There is unlikely to be a huge crowd in Limerick partly because Munster are so heavily fancied, with the hope being that they can welcome somewhere in the region of 15,000 into Thomond Park for their first home URC knock-out game since 2019.
Unless there’s a huge shock on the cards tonight, Munster fans should have another home knock-out game to look forward to next weekend against Glasgow or the Stormers.
Munster:
- 15. Simon Zebo
- 14. Calvin Nash
- 13. Antoine Frisch
- 12. Seán O’Brien
- 11. Shane Daly
- 10. Jack Crowley
- 9. Craig Casey
- 1. Jeremy Loughman
- 2. Niall Scannell
- 3. Stephen Archer
- 4. RG Snyman
- 5. Tadhg Beirne (captain)
- 6. Peter O’Mahony
- 7. John Hodnett
- 8. Gavin Coombes
Replacements:
- 16. Diarmuid Barron
- 17. John Ryan
- 18. Oli Jager
- 19. Jack O’Donoghue
- 20. Alex Kendellen
- 21. Conor Murray
- 22. Tony Butler
- 23. Mike Haley
Ospreys:
- 15. Max Nagy
- 14. Luke Morgan
- 13. Owen Watkin
- 12. Keiran Williams
- 11. Keelan Giles
- 10. Owen Williams
- 9. Reuben Morgan-Williams
- 1. Nicky Smith
- 2. Dewi Lake
- 3. Tom Botha
- 4. James Ratti
- 5. Huw Sutton
- 6. Jac Morgan
- 7. Justin Tipuric (captain)
- 8. Morgan Morris
Replacements:
- 16. Sam Parry
- 17. Gareth Thomas
- 18. Rhys Henry
- 19. Victor Sekekete
- 20. Morgan Morse
- 21. Luke Davies
- 22. Luke Scully
- 23. Harri Houston
Referee: Hollie Davidson [Scotland].
