Preparation paramount for Munster

NEVER before has a clash between age-old rivals Munster and Leinster attracted so much hype and anticipation. With a place in the Heineken Cup final the prize, the potential reward has never been greater.

How times change. The race for tickets has already reached manic proportions yet one only has to go back eight years when a provincial clash between the sides attracted less than 500 people to Dooradoyle in Limerick.

Not for the first time, Irish supporters have been short-changed, with the Lansdowne Road semi-final scheduled on a Sunday due to the demands of French television. From the supporters’ perspective, Saturday is by far the preferred option. Yet once again, as with Munster’s clash against Wasps two years ago, and against Biarritz in San Sebastian last year, the Irish have been relegated to the Sunday slot.

Quite why we always have to bow to the demands of French television is a mystery to me. When it suited them last year for Biarritz to play on a Sunday because of a soccer match, Munster’s travelling support was sacrificed once more.

One suspects that the 2006 census, also scheduled for April 23, will have a distorted element to it in the Munster counties. It clearly states that no matter where you are you must be counted. In years to come there may be queries as to why there was a mass exodus from Munster on that day.

While this game can’t come soon enough for the fans, the three-week build-up offers Munster an ideal opportunity to prepare properly. On the basis of their respective performances over the weekend, Munster have far more scope for improvement.

On second viewing, Leinster’s performance in Toulouse was even more impressive. To score four tries against the holders on their home patch is a tremendous achievement at any time. While the match defining score by Cameron Jowitt was the product of an horrendous mistake by Freddie Michalak, Leinster’s other tries from Denis Hickie, Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan all resulted from outstanding creative play.

Leinster’s defence was also magnificent, with both Toulouse tries coming in the last four minutes. It was their finest 80 minutes in Europe. The players’ decision to acknowledge their fans from the centre of the field and refrain from conducting a lap of honour also displayed a declaration of intent and a growing maturity.

The biggest challenge for Michael Cheika and his management team over the coming weeks will be to cope with the increased expectation levels one now associates with this team. Throughout the dour semi final between Biarritz and Sale, Sky’s Stuart Barnes was pleading with the talented Sale backs to do a “Leinster”, i.e. attack from wide through the talents of Mark Cueto, Jason Robinson and Steve Hanley. It was obvious they just didn’t have the same level of ambition.

In the immediate aftermath of the Perpignan game the Munster players were the first to acknowledge they had played within themselves. Their preparation, with the aborted trip to Llanelli, was severely hindered.

On Friday night, they face the Dragons in Newport and return to Thomond Park the week before the semi-final to face Edinburgh Reivers. Given that the Scottish side favours a high tempo, expansive game this could prove ideal preparation.

Apart from the distraction of Ronan O’Gara’s hamstring injury in the build-up to Saturday’s game, Munster were also forced to field three backs on the bench in Christian Cullen, Rob Henderson and Jeremy Manning, all of whom had played little or no rugby of late. They, plus Mike Mullins, will now be in a far better position to contribute to the match day squad. Declan Kidney’s selections for these Celtic League games should be interesting.

O’Gara is sure to be rested in the light of his hamstring strain. He also received a nasty gash, which required stitching during the Perpignan game due to the highly dangerous blades now favoured by several players. These boots should be outlawed. In a recent match against the Dragons in Cork, David Wallace also received a very deep laceration, as did former Connacht prop Peter Bracken playing for Wasps earlier in the season. How long before this equipment causes more serious damage?

Leinster face Borders on Friday and round off their preparations the following week with another Celtic League clash against the Llanelli Scarlets. Remarkably, Leinster have now scored 76 points in their last two Heineken Cup outings including five tries against fellow semi-finalists Bath along with the four against Toulouse This is a phenomenal scoring record by any standards.

It will be interesting to see whether Cheika will seek to keep the momentum going by selecting a full strength team for the next two weekends or whether he will be tempted to rest key personnel like Felipe Contepomi. The Argentinean has amassed 125 points in this year’s tournament, including six tries. While one can only admire his remarkable achievements, he will hardly have endeared himself to many in the Munster squad with his recent comments about what he perceives as their limited style of play.

One suspects that the comments emanating from both camps over the next few weeks will be characterised by a deep respect, gushing praise and mutual admiration.

But behind the scenes you can be guaranteed they’ll be preparing to tear strips out of each other.