McGahan confident key duo will be fit to face Saints
The duo sat out training yesterday having missed the Magners League loss to Leinster due to groin injuries. However, coach Tony McGahan is adamant the Irish internationals will be available for the crunch tie at Thomond Park.
“We expect every one in the 28-man squad to be available,” he stressed. “Neither Keith nor Paul trained Tuesday but Saturday is a long way off. We’ll give them every opportunity to get there and we’re confident that they will do so.”
If fit, O’Connell will be back to lead the side in the second row, possibly to the exclusion of Mick O’Driscoll. Indications are Earls will return at second centre in place of Lifeimi Mafi.
“We think that Keith is more than capable of playing at 13 or 15,” said McGahan, with Ian Dowling set to start on the left win. “We need to make the call based on the make-up of the rest of the backline and how we want to play and how the opposition is playing.”
Munster’s lack of a cutting edge against Leinster – apart from a few breaks by Jean de Villiers – is the chief reason why Earls may start as close to the centre of the action as possible, with Mafi potentially the ideal impact replacement.
“Once you come into these back-end games, some skill and execution and a bit of X Factor are required,” said McGahan. “It’s very difficult to break defences and you do need , that cutting edge. We’re not getting it at the moment but we’re addressing it and hope to put it on the biggest stage of all on Saturday.”
A mere four points at Franklin’s Gardens and three at Thomond Park separated the teams in their first two meetings this season so the likelihood is of another close affair on Saturday. Indeed, many believe Northampton’s highly impressive form of recent weeks entitles them to favouritism on Saturday.
“They’re definitely the form side in England,” McGahan accepted. “Their form has been rewarded with Hartley, Foden and Ashton being called up to the English squad for the last weekend of the Six Nations. But apart from those three guys, they’ve been together most of the time and going well.”
In contrast Munster give more than half their squad to Ireland with the very obvious disruption that causes and it’s a factor that can’t be underestimated going into Saturday’s game.
“That’s always the challenge of getting back on track against sides who keep their squads together,” McGahan agreed. As to whether Shane Geraghty or Steve Myler will start at out-half for the Saints, he mused: “We would expect them to kick a lot with Myler but if it’s Geraghty, he obviously possesses a real attacking threat.”
The set piece and especially the scrummage will play a massive role in the outcome with McGahan acknowledging that it’s an area where “we have certainly put in a big surge in training and realising where we are against them after the two previous games”. “We’ve worked really hard and are slowly making steps forwards.”
MUNSTER Squad (Forwards): M. Horan, D. Ryan, J. Brugnaut, J. Hayes, T. Buckley, D. Fogarty, D. Varley J. Flannery, D. O’Callaghan, P. O’Connell, M. O’Driscoll, A. Quinlan, N. Ronan, D. Wallace, N. Williams, B. Holland, J. Coughlan.
Backs: T. O’Leary, P. Stringer, R. O’Gara, P. Warwick, J. de Villiers, L. Mafi, T. Gleeson, K. Earls, I. Dowling, D. Howlett, S. Deasy.
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