Reds believe Metro can be derailed

Tackling one of the most expensively compiled sides in France without a third of your first choice team in the intimidating surrounds of the Stade de France in this afternoon’s opening game of the new Heineken Cup campaign may well seem a bridge too far for a Munster team in transition.

However, those closest to the team don’t see it like that, and the squad as a whole have been imbued with fresh confidence since Rob Penney and Simon Mannix’s arrival. The New Zealanders preach a new style of football while all the time ensuring a more expansive approach is linked to a common sense approach, all the more so when deep in their own territory.

There may seem little reason for Munster to hope for a crucial away victory against such talented opposition, all the more so because of the enforced absence of Wian du Preez, Donncha O’Callaghan, James Coughlan, Niall Ronan and Keith Earls.