Horan fit as Munster wait on Payne

MUNSTER prop Marcus Horan is back to full fitness, but there is still uncertainty about the full-back berth on the side to meet Bourgoin in tomorrow's Heineken Cup clash at Thomond Park.

Shaun Payne has overtaken Jeremy Staunton as the first-choice full-back, but faces a sweaty 24 hours, during which the extent of a knee injury incurred against Benetton Treviso last week will be carefully assessed.

Staunton, after making the number 15 shirt his own early in the season, has now lost considerable ground in provincial and national terms. However, coach Alan Gaffney stated last night that he had every confidence Staunton could do the job for him if Payne is ruled out.

"I thought Jeremy did very well when he came in last week. He was more relaxed and scored a very good try."

Horan missed the away tie to Treviso because of a back strain but the rest, according to Gaffney, has done him a power of good.

"We always believed he could have played last weekend but it would have been a risk."

But, as Gaffney awaits news on Payne's progress, Staunton is still very much in the frame. If Payne comes through, Staunton will drop to the bench.

The only change in the reserves involves the return of Jerry Flannery as cover for James Blaney.

Blaney was called up late last weekend to take over from the injured Frank Sheahan.

Munster's first-choice hooker was in Dublin yesterday for a scan/scope on an injured knee but Gaffney believes he will be back in training within a week.

"The injury should not affect his international prospects this season," he said.

Meanwhile, Munster are wondering how Bourgoin might approach tomorrow's match. Although the French side are out of the equation in terms of qualification, Munster captain Jim Williams has warned his players against complacency.

But how the visitors will react to the sacking of coaching director Philippe Saint-Andre earlier in the week amidst rumours that he was tipped to take over the Welsh job remains to be seen.

Bourgoin now have to concentrate on consolidating a strong domestic position to qualify for the Heineken Cup next season. This weekend it's Munster at Thomond Park, next week it's Colomiers in the French Championship.

Yesterday, Bourgoin coach Laurent Seigne named what he described as a "mix and match" team for the fixture in Limerick.

"There is a fair degree of experience in our team and we are travelling to Ireland with the aim of winning the game or, at worst, putting up a good performance. We're not going there to give anything away."

Williams believes Bourgoin are unlikely to throw in the towel either.

"I know with them in the Saint-Andre regime but he is sure to want something special from the side, no matter what faces them in France the following week.

"If I were to be honest, I'd probably prefer that Saint-Andre was still in control on the basis that a change of regime can often spur a side on to better things. Certainly they are likely to have a point or two to prove."

In the meantime, the ERC have confirmed that Munster's game against Bourgoin will definitely go ahead on Saturday evening, even if the other game in the pool falls victim to the weather.

On the weekend when the quarter-finalists of the Heineken Cup will be decided, all games within the same pool will kick-off at the same time so no advantage is gained.

In Pool 5, both the Munster-Bourgoin game at Thomond Park and the Gloucester-Treviso game at Kingsholm are due to kick-off at 5pm, but as the big-freeze continues, there remains a chance that the Gloucester game may be postponed until the following day.

In that situation, Gloucester will know exactly whether or not they can still win Pool 5, or indeed, what points they need to finish as either the best or second best runner-up in the competition.

As there remains a strong chance that Munster could meet Gloucester in the quarter-finals, the English side could well decide not to score more than four-tries in order to avoid a return to Thomond Park.

However, the ERC remain confident all games will go ahead this weekend, and in the event of one being postponed, the tournament organisers insist that the other game in the pool will go ahead.

BOURGOIN: F. Gengenbacher, K. Zhakata, G. Esterhuizen, M. Forest, J-F Coux, A. Peclier, M. Campeggia, O. Milloud, B. Cabello, J. Bovic, P. Jullien, M. Stoltz, J. Bonnaire, P. Raschi (captain), S. Chabal. Replacements. J-P Bonrepaux, B. Barbato, P. Pape, A. Petrilli, C. Laussucq, G. Davis, A. Forest.