How they match up
SCRUM
Munster: The set-piece is a strength once again for the province with B J Botha’s introduction at tighthead completing the jigsaw to give Munster a powerful eight-man scrummaging unit which enjoyed a productive and timely workout together after a rusty start against a large and formidable Treviso pack last week. 4/5.
Castres: The cornerstone of the Castres gameplan and Munster will be expecting another full-on challenge come scrum-time at Thomond Park. Munster gained the upper hand in the first game but are not complacent enough to expect to be dominate this time around, even withe absence of France prop Luc Ducalcon from a much-changed pack. 3½/5.
LINEOUT
Munster: Improved as the game wore on and the rust fell off against Treviso last week following a two-week break for the internationals in the pack. Varley used Donnacha Ryan, Paul O’Connell and O’Mahony along the line but there were a couple of misfires and O’Connell admitted to some “wobbly” calls. Room for improvement then and plenty of incentive to do so with their lineout maul working so well when they got it right. 3/5.
Castres:Held in high regard by Munster captain Paul O’Connell who says the Castres lineout is difficult to analyse. Forwards coach Laurent Travers has, though, omitted Scotland veteran Scott Murray and former All Blacks No.8 Chris Masoe, starting instead with Rodrigo Capo Ortega and Matthias Rolland at lock and three 6ft 4ins back rowers. 3/5.
BREAKDOWN
Munster:Another encouraging outing last week on the return of the rested internationals after two very good displays, with and without the ball, in the back-to-back wins over Scarlets. The return of Peter O’Mahony to the back row alongside James Coughlan and Niall Ronan increases Munster’s feistiness in the tackle area with the penalty count lessening at the same time. 3.5/5.
Castres: Will bring their renowned physicality to the tackle area, but the absence of big ball-carrying back rower Chris Masoe is a surprise and to Castres’ detriment at the breakdown. They still have players that love the opportunity to run into contact and that also means Munster players will be sniffing turnover ball in a fiercely contested collision zone. 3/5.
KICKING
Munster:Denis Hurley’s kicking at full-back goes from strength to strength as does Conor Murray’s box-kicking. Ronan O’Gara continues to produce the goods on restarts and in open play to give Munster a strong and crucial platform as well as an ultra-reliable scoring option off the tee. 4/5.
Castres: With Pierre Bernard at half-back and Rory Kockott on the bench, Castres have two very solid place kickers who are happy to punish ill discipline and keep the scoreboard ticking over. The French side’s tactical play with the boot in recent matches, however, has been relatively poor, both in decision-making and execution. 3/5.
WIDE GAME
Munster:Errors aplenty and a couple of opportunities wasted against Treviso, but it looks as though the Munster backline is capable of cutting loose out wide. Castres’ leaky defence, a mix of lethargy and mismatches that shipped six tries to Stade Francais last weekend will endorse that belief, as will the three tries scored by Munster in France in November. Yet while the Munster backs have asserted themselves in the league try-scoring stakes, Heineken Cup success has come from less expansive, more direct play. 3/5.
Castres: The French side have the gas out wide if they choose to deploy it but that’s a big ‘if’. Of their three tries scored against Stade Francais last week, one was from five metres out, the next was the result of a powerful and direct Masoe run off the base of a scrum on halfway, and the third came off the back of a strong maul. Still potent though. 3/5.
TOTALS
Munster: 17½/25
Castres: 15½/25
MUNSTER, Leinster and Saracens could grab the automatic Heineken Cup quarter-final spots with victories this weekend.
POOL 1
UNBEATEN Munster need a bonus-point victory at home to Castres Olympique to guarantee top spot. A bonus-point triumph would take them to 23 points, which is the most the Scarlets in second place can achieve over the final two rounds. Munster have beaten the Scarlets in both pool matches and would therefore go ahead of them on the head-to-head basis. A straightforward win for Munster, and any form of defeat for Scarlets, would also guarantee a 13th quarter-final.
POOL 2
EDINBURGH’S win over basement side Racing Metro in Paris last night puts them in the driving seat on 17 points. Cardiff are on 13 and can leapfrog them if they get a bonus point win at London Irish today, which would end the Exiles’ interest. However, an Irish victory with a bonus point would make it a three-horse race going into the final round.
POOL 3
ANY kind of win for Leinster over Glasgow Warriors at Firhill will be enough to guarantee the reigning champions safe passage into the last eight. The only other unbeaten club along with Munster — they opened with a draw in Montpellier — Leo Cullen’s men have a six-point lead over their Scottish hosts.
POOL 4
ULSTER hold the cards here now, by virtue of last night’s stunning demolition of Leicester. They lead the way on 19 points with an away tie at Clermont next week. The Auvergnats, who lie eight points adrift, must first overcome Aironi to send the pool down to the wire. A draw or two bonus points in defeat is the minimum requirement for Ulster to top the pool, though a losing bonus point should be enough to secure a best runner-up slot at worst. Leicester aren’t mathematically out of contention for one of those places either.
POOL 5
DESPITE Ospreys’ bonus point victory over Treviso bringing them within a point of Saracens, the English side could still win their pool with a game to go, if they can clinch a bonus point victory at Vicarage Road over Biarritz Olympique and prevent the French club from earning a point. That would take Saracens to 19 points and a guaranteed place in the quarter-finals. However, an away win for Biarritz would open up the pool for a mad scramble in round six, when Ospreys travel to France and Saracens head to Italy to face Benetton Treviso.
POOL 6
THE battle between four-times champions Toulouse and reigning Amlin Challenge Cup holders Harlequins looks destined to run to round six. Toulouse lead Quins by a point in the head-to-head stakes over their two pool matches and also lead the pool by a point. They host Connacht in round five before heading to Gloucester. Quins host Gloucester, who are still in the mix with nine points, next before ending with a trip to Galway to face Connacht.
