Proud Maori ready to face mighty Munster challenge

Carl Hoeft, a key member of the Maori All Black management team preparing for Friday’s sold-out clash with Munster at Thomond Park, is under no illusions about the challenge awaiting his side.

Hoeft was a formidable prop and spent seven years in France with Castres and Toulouse, but it was in the Castres jersey in 2005/06 that he endured an unwelcome experience when they were mercilessly put to the sword by a great Munster team rampaging its way towards a first Heineken Cup triumph. In the first meeting at Thomond Park, Hoeft & Co were hammered 42-16. In the rematch in Castres, the margin in Munster’s favour was 46-9.

“That was in Thomond Park before it got fixed and it was a hard game,” recalled Hoeft, as he helped to run the rule over an extremely impressive looking bunch of Maori at UL yesterday.