O’Connell believes Reds must improve 40% to beat Toulouse

Paul O’Connell issued a downbeat assessment of Munster’s chances of a Heineken Cup quarter-final victory over French giants Toulouse, saying his province should not be favourites at Thomond Park on Saturday.

Maybe it was kidology in the build-up to the province’s biggest game of the season to date or a continued reaction to Saturday’s defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, but the veteran lock and former captain said his side would need to improve by a “minimum of 40%” over any previous performance this year just to have a chance of beating the four-time European champions.

The warning issued by O’Connell ahead of Toulouse’s first visit to Limerick was all the more remarkable considering Munster’s proud European home record at Thomond Park, having lost only three times in 19 seasons; to Leicester in a 2006 pool game, to Harlequins in an Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final in 2011 and to Ulster 12 months later in a Heineken quarter-final. Yet O’Connell (pictured) yesterday dismissed the bookmakers’ installation of Munster as 8/13 match favourites by pointing to Munster’s patchy form in 2014.