Quinnell warns old club Scarlets as Reds eye revenge

MUNSTER are masters at maintaining standards in the Heineken Cup and will want to bounce back from last weekend’s Magners League loss to arch rivals Leinster.

That is the view of former Llanelli Scarlets captain and Sky Sports pundit, Scott Quinnell, ahead of the back-to-back fixtures between his former side and Munster at Stradey Park on Saturday.

Quinnell also believes that Declan Kidney’s side are hell bent on avenging last season’s quarter-final loss to the west Wales region.

Kidney said this week that Saturday’s pool five clash is not a revenge mission, branding such talk as “small-minded” and that Munster have moved on from last March’s disappointing exit to Phil Davies’ men.

Despite Quinnell’s warning that Munster are out to atone for last season’s 24-15 defeat, he is confident the currently pointless Scarlets can deliver a victory against the Irish.

“No team has qualified from their pool before having suffered three defeats, so Simon Easterby’s men must come up trumps after losing in France to Clermont Auvergne and then at home to Wasps,” said the former Wales and Lions No 8.

“You’ve got to feel a little bit sorry for the Scarlets because had they been in any other pool they might have escaped the clutches of three of the top teams in Europe.”

But he warned: “Cometh the hour, cometh the Scarlets — and I’m banking on a big backlash this weekend.”

Quinnell added: “They face the 2006 champions, Munster, in two back-to-back fixtures that will decide if they have any chance of hitting back from their poor start.

“Seven straight wins took them through to the semi-finals last season, but they haven’t been able to pick up a point yet in the ‘Pool of Death’.

“So it is win or bust at Stradey on Saturday in a repeat of last season’s epic quarter-final.”

But he warned: “Munster are not going to roll over. They could, and probably should, have beaten Wasps in Coventry on the opening weekend and they did the business on Clermont, so they will arrive at Stradey hell-bent on avenging last season’s defeat.

“Everyone’s waiting for them to tip over the hill as they allegedly have an ageing side, but they are the masters at maintaining standards.

Quinnell also feels the arrival of New Zealand Maori captain Rua Tipoki has given the Reds a cutting edge behind their rugged pack. “The introduction of Tipoki this season has given Munster a sharper edge behind the scrum,” said Quinnell. “And the battle of the half-backs — Peel and Jones against Stringer and O’Gara — is going to be critical.”