McGahan looks for the right combos

TONY MCGAHAN made a conscious decision this week not to dwell on the opposition, instead focusing on getting Munster right for today’s must-win Heineken Cup clash against Toulon at Thomond Park (3.30pm).

It was just as well, because McGahan would have been wasting his time scanning Toulon’s performance against the Ospreys last week given that there are only three survivors from the starting line up; stars such as Juan Fernandez Lobbe are excluded entirely, and Jonny Wilkinson is demoted to the replacements bench.

While Munster’s starting line up shows no real surprise – with four changes from last week – McGahan’s counterpart Philippe Saint-Andre has done the expected in a sense; it’s not the first time a French side travelled to Ireland with a new-look side from European action a week before. It’s the way they do things, and contrary to popular opinion it’s not always a sign that they’re waving a white flag because they’re not on home soil.