Munster remain a threat, warns cautious Richard Cockerill

Richard Cockerill may have enjoyed a famous Leicester win at Thomond Park but the Tigers’ director of rugby refused to write off Munster’s chances of a Champions Cup fightback at Welford Road this Sunday.

Cockerill said the 31-19 scoreline on Saturday had flattered his side, who moved nine points clear at the top of Pool 4 having played a game more than both Stade Francais and Munster. He added that the return fixture in England this weekend was Leicester’s “most important game of the pool, full stop”.

He said: “Next week for us is absolutely critical. We won’t take anything lightly. Munster are a fantastic club, steeped in tradition. They played very well tonight and we probably got the rub of the green.

“We will have to re-double our efforts next week and we know Munster will too. They have to come to Welford Road and they have to win. And that makes them very dangerous.” Cockerill, himself under pressure last season when Tigers were struggling, pleaded with Munster supporters to be patient with their province and head coach Anthony Foley as they try to weather a downturn in fortunes.

“Sometimes you have to put the microscope on the here and now. Leicester will be here in 100 years from now, and Munster will be here in 100 years’ time. We’re built around the city, the stadium and the fans and I think it is very important to keep that. Other clubs in England and France have owners and they go down different paths.

"That’s not a criticism, it is just a different model. What clubs like us and Munster have is pretty special. There is going to be a bump in the road sometimes. Last year, I was very close to losing my job because results weren’t going our way. You have to ride that storm, the club has to ride that storm, you have to come through it and out the other side.

"Anthony’s a Munster man, through and through, I’m a Leicester man through and through and we both do what’s best for Munster and Leicester, not just for the here and now. Sometimes people need to understand that and have a little patience. Munster have lost some generational players in the last number of years, in O’Gara and O’Connell, Stringer, and we’ve had the same. This [Munster] team isn’t finished yet, we’ll see what happens when they come to Welford Road next week before we start writing Munster off.”