Noon: Munster have a lot to prove
Tony McGahan’s charges will make a first journey to the Stade Amédée-Domenec in central France for their last-eight clash in Europe’s second-tier competition, something of a jarring change for a side who have spent the past 12 seasons negotiating the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup.
Experienced England centre Noon, now part of the furniture at Brive since his 2009 move from Newcastle, is pitching his side as underdogs but reckons the mental approach may be easier for the hosts.
“We always had this as a goal, we wanted to get to the quarter-finals, and ideally be at home. However, they’ve never been in this competition, and for them, coming to Brive was never on their radar,” Noon told the Irish Examiner.
“We’re the underdogs playing against a side with a great pedigree in the Heineken Cup coming to little old Brive, a sleepy town.
“It’ll be interesting to see how they react to that; to see if they come here wanting to prove to everyone that they should have been in the other competition, and that they’re still a great European side.”
Noon pointed out Brive, as Heineken Cup winners in 1997 and losing finalists in 1998, are also looking to restore former glories on the European stage, particularly after a Top 14 season that has left them in a relegation battle.
However, he is not putting much stock in Munster’s last visit to France, when they were bested by double scores in Toulon back in January.
“I think Toulon played pretty well that day but I don’t think that was the real Munster,” he said. “I don’t think they turned on the day, and I expect a slightly different challenge when they come (here).
“They’re renowned for having a fantastic forward pack, which we’ve to match and try to impose our game on them. Their back-line is littered with class and quality, and off the back of what Ireland did to England, there’s guys there who are on a bit of a high.”
Noon’s former England colleague, scrum-half Shaun Perry, believes Munster’s primary strengths lie in the second row and at half-back.
“You’ve got the three O’s (Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara), haven’t you? And I think (Peter) Stringer will be playing at nine. They’re the four you’ve got to be looking at,” he said.
Perry has little doubt Munster will arrive in Brive in the correct frame of mind, and has warned his team-mates against giving the Irish side too much respect.
“I think you need to have them up on a bit of a pedestal, you need to respect them; they are where they are for a reason,” he said. “You don’t qualify for 12 Heineken Cup quarter-finals on the bounce without a massive presence in Europe.
“But then again, you don’t want to show them a massive amount of respect. It’s just one game, and it could go either way.
“They’re a team I want to play against, though. You always see them on TV and hear about them, and to get them here at home is a great achievement for Brive.”
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