Favourites wary of Munster’s big match experience
The 28-year-old, who knows a thing or two about pain in this competition having lost finals playing for Stade Francais and Leicester, says they expect a massive battle with Munster.
“The name is enough to give motivation. They have a lot of experience and we know the level of pressure they can put on a team, especially in the ruck area, in the lineouts and always at the fringe of being penalised and putting pressure on teams.
“I think Irish rugby has done that very well, those tackles where they hold up guys on the line. Munster really dominate the ruck area and that is where they will be very, very dangerous for us on Saturday.
“They have obviously seen that we have some very good backs that we want to chuck the ball to. They will want to kill the ball and put a lot of pressure on our half-backs.”
Last year’s semi-final defeat to Leinster ensures they will take nothing for granted.
“The fact that we are at home is fantastic and that we are doing well has created a positive dynamic but the Munster team have got a huge amount more experience of these huge games than we do.
“Losing to Leinster last year is a painful memory for us. That day we thought it was an injustice and we could have won but if we took a few steps back then Leinster were just a bit better than us on that day.
“Looking back I think the key difference was the experience they had of these incredibly hard and intense games. That experience is going to be a huge asset to the strength of the Munster team. There is enough for us to be worried about in Munster to wipe away that the press makes us favourites. It will be live or die, one point to one point,” he added.
Kayser, who spent a season with Castres before joining Clermont two years ago, reckons they have learned harsh lessons and are now mentally stronger.
“I think as a team and a unit we have matured a lot from past experiences.
“Heineken Cup is dreadfully hard. You need the perfect season to go all the way, you need the right pool stages, the right frame of mind to be able to say that your are not going only going to perform in May for the final but you need to be able to perform in October for the first few games and all through December and January when it is wet and hard and you face some really strong teams. I think we have matured a lot and we have done well in the pool stages.
“We are very lucky to have a squad of 35 players who are of a similar level. We have been working very hard for the past year and a half to get to this stage. At the moment we have done as well as last year but we have not done better yet. We are going step by step and we want to get to the Aviva Stadium,” he added.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
