O’Mahony urges Munster to ignore the what ifs

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has urged his players to forget Heineken Cup quarter-final permutations and concentrate on getting stuck into Edinburgh at Thomond Park on Sunday.

With qualification for the knockout stages secured a week ahead of schedule thanks to Saturday’s 20-7 victory at Gloucester, Munster must hope results during the final round of the pool stages go their way this weekend to claim a home draw for the last eight, even if they manage a maximum five points with a bonus-point win over Edinburgh.

Munster’s victory at Kingsholm, secured by a second-half try by O’Mahony, was a second big away win of the Pool 6 campaign, having beaten Perpignan in France in round four, and after last season’s quarter-final success at Harlequins a road trip this April would not unduly faze the province.