Double boost for Munster

MUNSTER haven’t ruled out the possibility of Barry Murphy and David Wallace being involved in Sunday’s Heineken Cup clash against Cardiff Blues in the Arms Park.

Murphy left the field clutching his left shoulder seven minutes into Munster’s Magners League clash against Connacht last Sunday, while David Wallace looked in real distress when departing with a leg injury in the second half.

However, a Munster spokesman yesterday allayed fears that the pair will miss Sunday’s clash: “Both Barry and David haven’t been ruled out which is a very good sign and I would imagine at this stage that they’ll be fit.”

Man of the match on Sunday John Kelly suffered a slight hamstring twinge while Federico Pucciarriello was also replaced late in the game with a leg injury. Both are expected to be fit for Cardiff in front of what is expected to be a sell-out crowd at the Arms Park.

Assistant coach, Brian Hickey, says Munster’s defence system was most impressive against Connacht and hopes the same consistency in this area prevails in Cardiff.

Munster repelled periods of Connacht pressure and didn’t concede any close-in penalties, which was a source of huge satisfaction for Hickey.

“Connacht had about three periods of sustained pressure but I thought it was encouraging that we kept our shape through about fifteen or sixteen phases,” said Hickey.

“It’s very important to get the guys together, to get used to each other in what they do — the international guys also have to get their defensive side of things together. We would use slightly different defensive systems to what Ireland would be using.

“From the first minute our guys got into it fairly well. There were a couple of line breaks but under sustained pressure in the second half we stood up very well. We were patient, there wasn’t any great risk of penalties and that was the most pleasing thing.”

Hickey was hugely impressed with the Blues after viewing a tape of their 31-7 EDF Energy Cup home win over London Irish at the weekend, and appreciates the massive task Munster face. “It was an interesting match insofar as both teams had a lot to play for. Cardiff were very effective, very impressive. We would have said they were tough opposition in the last few years anyway — we’ve beaten them on our own patch but we’ve always had great difficulty winning over there. There have been a few big scores put up against us in the Arms Park.”

Hickey and the management team face a couple of selection headaches for Sunday’s game. Though Christian Cullen came through unscathed on Sunday, it’s unlikely he will unseat Shaun Payne from full-back.

Centre will prove a selection dilemma after Lifiemi Mafi’s impressive outing alongside Trevor Halstead after Barry Murphy’s 7th minute departure.

“It’s the nature of it now when we get to this stage of the season. It’s good that we have some headaches. But the ankle injury to Mick O’Driscoll brings you back to reality. We’ve two or three training sessions to get through and a lot can happen in a week. And whereas we are getting players back in some positions, you tend to lose them in other positions.”