McGahan preaching caution

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan admitted he is as fearful now for Heineken Cup qualification as he was before the first round of pool games.

Three wins from three starts have put the province in pole position in Pool 1, with a strong chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in two seasons, provided they can secure a home win this Sunday against Scarlets at Thomond Park (12.45pm).

On a day when he welcomed fit-again Ireland wing Keith Earls to his 29-man squad for Sunday’s Heineken Cup clash with the Welsh region, McGahan said he could not feel good about Munster’s position at the halfway stage of the group stage.

“I don’t have any good feelings in Heineken Cup weeks, to be honest,” McGahan said. “Where we are, where the pool is and the other sides that are in it, we are as fearful now as we were going into round one with Northampton, that’s where it’s at.

“We know things can get tipped either way and we could undo all the good work and all the fight and all the work we’ve contributed over the last three games. We know this is just where it’s at for this weekend.

“I don’t know if we have the ability to be looking too far ahead and I don’t think we should be. There is a lot of fear for this game and we certainly recognise what Scarlets can do and what they can bring. We know they would like to be better than they were on Saturday, with their own execution.

“We’re looking for our best performance on the weekend, and we’re looking to get that out on Sunday, and I believe we probably need to, to get a result at home.”

While Munster welcomed Earls back to training, it is Simon Zebo who looks likely to be asked to take his opportunity against Scarlets at Thomond Park this weekend.

Earls, who damaged knee ligaments in the week before round one during a RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Leinster, has not been in action since, but two training sessions either side of last weekend have been enough to warrant a recall to the Heineken Cup squad for the Ireland star.

Though it would be tempting to throw Earls into the fray in Limerick on Sunday and restore a Test-class cutting edge to Munster’s back play in the absence of both Doug Howlett and Felix Jones, the head coach feels Earls needs more game time before exposing him to the intensity of Europe’s toughest club competition. He also dropped a broad hint yesterday that it would be Zebo who would be given another chance to impress on the wing, following a solid Heineken Cup debut for the 21-year-old in the win against Scarlets in Llanelli last Saturday.

“We’ve such an injury list so to get an international and a British (& Irish) Lion of his calibre back in the mix is terrific news for us,” McGahan said of Earls. “We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll be part of the matchday squad. He’s been out for four or five weeks now. We would have liked to have played him in some part of the A game at the weekend (against Ayr) but unfortunately that was not possible.

“He’s only had two sessions under his belt. We’ll see how he gets through this week’s training and wait and see. He certainly has a chance.

“Felix and Keith have been out for three rounds now. Johne (Murphy) and Doug were covering and then Dougie went and Simon stepped up. We have been able to cover positions but it’s great to have Keith back in the mix.”

There is a strong possibility Earls will be given a run in the A side’s next British & Irish Cup match at Moseley this Saturday, leaving the door open once again for Zebo to continue his impressive run of form on the wing.

“Certainly, his progress has been on a positive side,” McGahan said of Zebo. “He still has a lot to go and I’m sure he recognises that one Heineken Cup game is not going to make the season for him.

“All you can ask of a young guy is to take the opportunity each time he steps up. He’s managed to do that this season and we’re delighted with that and hopefully he’ll get another chance to further that this weekend.

“He’s had a lot of things to work on in the last 12 months with regard to his fitness and his workrate. And in his aerial work, he wasn’t putting himself in as strong an area to make an impact on the game. He’s got an excellent example in Doug Howlett in terms of what you can achieve beyond having that traditional finishing impact on the wing. He’s had an excellent teacher, and Dougie’s been a good influence.”

MUNSTER (squad v Scarlets): Forwards: M Horan, W du Preez, BJ Botha, J Hayes, S Archer, D Varley, D Fogarty, D Ryan, P O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan, M O’Driscoll, I Nagle, B Holland, N Ronan, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan, D Leamy.

Backs: C Murray, T O’Leary, R O’Gara, I Keatley, S Deasy, D Barnes, W Chambers, S Zebo, L Mafi, Denis Hurley, J Murphy, K Earls.