Henderson can spark Munster back division
That’s the only change in personnel from last week’s win over the Ospreys. However, it means Mossie Lawlor drops down to the bench with Shaun Payne moving from centre to wing to make way for Henderson’s return.
Coach Alan Gaffney hopes Henderson’s return will spark Munster’s back division into life. They have been out of sorts in recent weeks, but that could be put down to the appalling weather and the lack of quality possession.
The weather outlook for Twickenham is better, cold conditions but probably sunny skies.
Despite all the noises from Harlequins that the London club will have huge support, the reality is that with ticket sales hitting 33,000, Munster fans will make it a day to remember at Twickenham.
Gaffney declared: “It’s all systems go. We have prepared well for this one, much better than when the two sides met in October and everyone is looking forward to it.”
Even Anthony Foley, John Hayes, Peter Stringer, Anthony Horgan and Mike Mullins? The quintet are survivors from Munster’s ill-fated trip to Twickenham in May, 2000 when the province was denied by Northampton in the Heineken Cup.
Gaffney said: “It was a long time ago and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since. Looking at the positive side, a number of these Munster players will only remember Ireland’s victory over England there last year.
“The subject of the 2000 defeat hasn’t even come up; it was different opposition and a different time. Everyone is looking at this match in a positive light and there will be no excuses if we lose. Our build-up to the game has been excellent; we’ve been able to pick basically from our full squad so there can be no excuses. It’s all in our own hands,” he said.
Gaffney will today meet with French referee Joel Jutge, regarded by the Australian as one of the best in the world.
He admitted there were some difficulties in the interpretation of the rucking laws in Munster’s Heineken Cup clash with Ospreys: “But we won’t go down that avenue and we looked hard at our own performance that day and at the reasons why we conceded those penalties. We just want to seek clarification and Joel is a pretty consistent performer with good communication skills. We weren’t happy at The Gnoll that day with certain aspects of the game, but a lot of it came down to ourselves and we have moved on.
“We will be speaking with him, but only in the context a normal way of clarifying the issues, the grey areas that might arise from match to match; things like interpreting when the line out is over and making sure what is required and what is not allowed at the breakdown.”
One of the five survivors of 2000, Peter Stringer, will win his 51st cap today, a week after entering ERC’s Elite Award scheme for those who played 50 times in the competition.
“It’s a big day for us all. It was great to win my 50th and a bonus to pick up the man of the match award against Ospreys. But that’s all behind me now. Personal honours, however welcome, mean nothing if we don’t perform as a team in Twickenham and get through to the knock-out stages.
“We’ve never won the Heineken Cup, we’ve had our share of great days but ultimately disappointment. We’re a strong bunch of guys who want to take this season a stage further and hopefully our experience will bear fruit against Harlequins.”
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