Everything in Munster’s favour, says Melville

FORMER England and Lions scrum- half Nigel Melville has described Gloucester’s Heineken Cup clash against Munster as his team’s most important game of the season.

"Every game was important to us but, with so much hanging on the result, this is in a different dimension."

Though clearly leading the Zurich Premiership, coaching director Melville admitted that Gloucester could still come a cropper.

"It is one of those games in the

season that creates the path that

decides where we go from here. It is an absolutely crucial game and something of a watershed in many ways

because the season could go one way or another after it.

"It will certainly determine where we go in Europe and so will have an outcome on the rest of the season."

Gloucester go into this tie with a two point advantage at the top of their pool and also have a four tries to one advantage between the two sides. That puts the cherry-and-whites in a strong position to qualify for the knock out stages of the competition.

Results throughout Europe will impact on Gloucester's fortunes if they fail to win in Limerick this weekend, so Melville is seeking a win in order to earn an all-important home tie in the quarter-finals.

"If we win, we will top the group, and we will get a home tie. I can't think of anything better than that. Anything less than that is less appealing so we will go to Munster with the intention of winning. There is no way we can go anywhere to draw or lose.

"I would like to think that Munster are as strong as they have always been. They certainly have some fantastic players. They are well coached and well organised, and they have a fantastic tradition in Europe.

"To say that they are suddenly a poor side is well off the mark. I think they are a very strong side, as they showed when they played us, and when they played at home so far this season."

In the Kingsholm leg of the Gloucester-Munster Pool Two fixtures, Gloucester outscored the Irish side by four tries to one, running out 35-16 winners.

But despite that victory, Melville believes the earlier game has little or no bearing on the return leg at Thomond Park on Saturday. This is a one-off game, the circumstances are totally different; we are away at a ground where they haven't lost for a very long time, and when they played us here we were at a ground where we haven't lost for a very long time. So it is just a reversal of that which could go against us. Everything is in their favour."

Melville will name his starting line-up today. There is question mark over the availability of wing Marcel Garvey who suffered a hamstring injury during last week's tie against Viadana and he faces a late fitness test.

Meanwhile, neither Munster coach Alan Gaffney nor back row stalwart Anthony Foley are ready to throw in the towel.

Gaffney insisted yesterday: "We can only take it one step at a time, go out to win the game and see what happens after that if we play to our ability.

"The players have a pretty good handle on what they have to do but the first priority is to win the game. Munster have a proud record at Thomond Park and the players want that to continue for a long time into the future. Anything more than a win will be a bonus and it could be a huge bonus."

Foley still holds out the hope that his side can qualify, saying: "None of us players would have believed that winning the trophy was a realistic goal five years ago but we went so close twice. We have found ourselves in difficult situations in the past and, I suppose, this is the most difficult in my experience.

"But we owe it to ourselves and our fantastic supporters to go out and give it our best shot. I don't believe the

situation is impossible and I know that this Munster team won't go out with a defeatist attitude.

"We know what we have to do to have a chance and no matter what people make of Gloucester, we know there is a big, big performance in this Munster team. On our day we can beat anyone and reach the targets we have to reach to make it through.

"We will take it one step at a time in this game and we look forward to giving our fantastic supporters as much to cheer about as possible."

On that score, Gaffney hasn't had much of the Thomond Park experience. "I'm a bit of a rookie in that regard. I know all about the history of the stadium and the fantastic atmosphere, but from my point of view it has been confined. This season we played Caerphilly and Ulster in the Celtic League. For one reason or another, there wasn't much atmosphere for the Caerphilly game and it wasn't as intense either for the match with Perpignan. The best of the three, from my point of view, came against Ulster. Now we've got past that particular hurdle I believe the best is yet to come. At least I hope so."