Holland stands-by for Henderson
Coach Alan Gaffney believes Henderson, who suffered a head injury in the Celtic League match against Leinster, will be fit though his training has been curtailed. Indeed Holland was conspicuous in the centre alongside Mike Mullins in yesterday’s session.
Nevertheless, Henderson has been included in a list of 12 backs though there is no place for John Kelly, who has not fully recovered from a heavily bruised ankle. Kelly suffered a slight reaction this week when he played a practice match for Cork Constitution.
“Getting through 35 minutes was pleasing, and while he won’t be ready this week he might be for the final game with Harlequins,” Gaffney said.
Taking centre stage at yesterday’s press conference was Paul Burke who will start at out half in place of the injured Ronan O’Gara.
“He hasn’t just played for us, he has played exceptionally well for us,” Gaffney said of Burke. “Obviously Ronan is a very talented player but with a player like Paul available it makes me feel very relaxed. He plays the game we like to play, plays the game on the line and he is well used to that. I’m quite happy with having Paul in the side.”
Burke is relishing his role over the next fortnight. “I feel confident myself, I have the confidence of the team and management and it’s really just another game, albeit a big one, for me. My focus is going to be exactly the same in this match as it would be in any other. I’m not worried that the Heineken Cup is a step up from the Celtic League. I’ve played in the Heineken Cup before and have done fine. I can’t see this as any different.
“I’m thoroughly looking forward to it, it’s a big opportunity for me and these games are the ones I like to play in. When I made the decision to come back to Ireland, I was never ready to settle for just playing in the Celtic League although now I find myself involved in Europe on the back of an unfortunate injury to Ronan.
“It was a bad blow for Ronan but this is not a team of individuals, not even a team alone because it’s all about the squad system.
“We will get injuries throughout the year and that means that guys like myself are required to step up and perform at this level.”
Burke’s form has been a source of satisfaction for Gaffney as well. “I would be much more worried if I had been playing below form in recent games but I know I was doing things right. I take every game as it comes and fortunately I have been playing well. That will give me plenty of confidence going into this one.”
Although Munster have had some intense challenges in the Celtic League, Burke is aware that Saturday will be his biggest game of the season. But he won’t be overawed. “Remember, we’re the home team and I’m sure I’ll get plenty of support from the crowd.”
Burke’s first appearance at Thomond Park was in 1991 when, ironically, he played for England Schools and contributed eleven points in a 15-0 victory against an Irish side that featured Munster captain Anthony Foley.
“Yeah, that was an interesting experience and it was even more ironic because I think there were seven or eight of the English team eligible, for one reason or another, to play for Ireland! “That was a great occasion but looking back it didn’t match the atmosphere against Castres a few weeks ago. That was really a special occasion, an amazing atmosphere that hopefully will be reproduced on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, captain Anthony Foley is happy with Munster’s build up to this tie, even if he will be praying for better weather conditions. The win over Leinster was just the spur we needed to prepare for the Ospreys.
“The last three games have been right up there in terms of physicality but the Leinster game also involved a lot of tension and pure intensity. That was right up there in terms of what we will expect from the Ospreys.”
Foley pledged Munster would enjoy a nice quiet build up to their fourth meeting with the Ospreys this season.
“We’re experienced enough to know that our focus must be on the match and nothing that might be said will divert us from that. There’s no need for us to be talking about it here because at the end of the day the talking has to be done on the pitch.”
: Backs. C. Cullen, P. Burke, P. Devlin, R. henderson, J. Holland, A. Horgan, M. Lawlor, S. Payne, M. Prendergast, P. stringer, J. Storey. Forwards. A. Foley, G. Flannery, M. Horan, J. Hayes, T. Hogan, D. Leamy, G. McIlwham, P. O’Connell, D. O’Callaghan, A. Quinlan, F. Sheahan, J. Williams, D. Wallace.
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