McGahan opts for midfield power play
In an effort to add more firepower to the midfield, McGahan paired Sam Tuitupou alongside Lifeimi Mafi, bringing the two men together for a first start since the province lost the opening round of the Heineken Cup away to London Irish.
Tuitupou came on as a replacement for Munster in the second half of their victory over Leinster last week and made an impact; consequently, McGahan believes this is now his best midfield option, meaning Johne Murphy’s relegation to the bench.
Denis Leamy was another second half impact replacement on Saturday and, not surprisingly, he is also named in McGahan’s pack, a unit that shows two alterations, the second involving the recall of Mick O’Driscoll in place of injured skipper Paul O’Connell.
Ronan O’Gara has, predictably, been named as captain but there will be no shortage of leaders in the pack, amongst them Leamy and O’Driscoll.
Munster could hardly have had a better preparation, with no quarter asked for or given in the battle against old rivals Leinster last week.
Munster’s preparation wasn’t confined to trying to deal with just abrasive play; they’re also expecting to have to counter a good skill set at scrum time.
It’s an area in which Munster have shown huge improvement over the last couple of months and they will need to be at their best against this powerful Brive pack that prides itself in all aspects of forward play.
McGahan believes the mindset will be crucial and insists Munster can’t afford to take a backward step in their early encounters against the Brive front-rowers.
There are differences, he figures, between attitudes in the hemispheres and in various competitions around the world.
“If you look to the front row boys, for instance, it’s revealing to) talk to Peter Borlase (Munster’s New Zealand import) about the differences in scrummaging philosophy and scrummaging mindset, coming from where he’s come from, in NPC and Super 14, into the Heineken Cup and the Magners League.
“There are differences, from a technical point of view but, as regards mindset, European rugby has its own philosophy and you’ve seen the scrums and the sides with the strongest scrums, traditionally go furthest in the competitions.”
And McGahan certainly wants to go far in this Amlin Challenge Cup, dismissing any hint that Munster’s interest in European rugby is only in the more senior Heineken Cup competition.
Anyone doubting Munster’s sincerity should take stock of McGahan’s comments: “No doubt about it, the players are extremely focused. We had to reset after elimination from the Heineken Cup, but the players are competitive.
“That’s why they are professional rugby players and that’s why they are signed to play at Munster, because they want to win and they want to be successful.
“We all set our standards extremely high every year. When that objective changes, you need to refocus your energies.
“You don’t have time to dwell on it, on something that’s not there. If we did that, we wouldn’t be where we are now, which we did by getting past London Irish and getting the bonus point.
“And we certainly wouldn’t be where we are in the Magners League; we’d be still wallowing around trying to find ourselves. We had to march on. We’ve done that, and our energies are completely focused on where we are in this competition.”
So, would winning the Amlin constitute a good season for Munster? “That’s a good question,” said McGahan, “but it’s not for me to answer. We need to get through this weekend first.
“What constitutes success? Many people have different variations on that, and we’ve learned that over the years. It’s open to interpretation, but we know if we get through this weekend, it allows us to get a home semi-final.
Whether that happens depends on how they front up to a Brive pack led from the front by captain Antoine Claassen, and against a proud side that cherishes and plays to a remarkable home support, and against a team that relies greatly on the experience of former English international centre Jamie Noon and their strike runner, left winger, Alexis Palisson.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
