Three things Munster must show against Connacht

ATTITUDE

It would be perfectly understandable if a number of Munster players had at least one eye on Toulon and next week-end’s Heineken Cup semi-final when they line out against Connacht at the Sportsground this evening.

To go into this game in such a frame of mind could well prove disastrous because Connacht won’t be standing on ceremony or doing their near neighbours any favours. On the contrary, in fact. They love nothing more than putting one over on the so-called ‘Fancy Dans’ from the other three Irish provinces and on top of that, they certainly owe their loyal fans a big performance having lost in bitterly disappointing fashion to Ulster a week ago.

The inclusion of established players like Paul O’Connell and Damien Varley will ensure there is no Munster complacency on this occasion but the game is still fraught with danger for a side now in grave danger of missing out on a home semi-final that looked pretty assured not so very long ago and struggling even to reach the top four.

THE BREAKDOWN

Connacht captain John Muldoon laid it on the line for his players during the week: “We desperately want to beat Munster and the best way to do so is to dominate them at the breakdown.”

So the return of Willie Falloon to team up with Muldoon himself and Eoin McKeon in the back-row is its own reliable indication that coach Pat Lam also sees this as an area where his side can gain a crucial edge. Even though CJ Stander is now established in the Munster back-row and doing very well, the loss of skipper Peter O’Mahony for this type of contest is certain to be felt. Stander, Paddy Butler and Sean Dougall have a mighty battle on their hands although the potential prize of a place in the match-day squad against Toulon should act as a major incentive.

PENETRATION

Failure to penetrate opposing defences and create line breaks has dogged a number of Munster performances over the past few seasons. Even with Ian Keatley passed fit to line out against his old comrades at out-half, it is difficult to see the unit chosen by Rob Penney improving greatly on most of what we have seen this season – with the obvious exception of the Heineken Cup quarter-final demolition of Toulouse.

The selection of Johne Murphy at second centre suggests he is regarded as the most likely replacement should Casey Laulala miss out on the Toulon game and his versatility has proved invaluable since his arrival from Leicester.

Then there’s James Downey. There is a widely held view is that the best use has not been made of his talents as a hard-running, crash-ball centre while many suspect he wasn’t up to the job in the first place. Either way, Munster may suffer another embarrassing set-back before their return to Europe if they fail to open up a Connacht rearguard in which Rob Henshaw at second centre will be especially keen to make an impression.