Gaffney: This is our moment

Alan Gaffney has urged Saracens to seize their moment in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final showdown against Munster.

Despite inconsistent Guinness Premiership form this season, Saracens’ European adventure has featured notable victories over the likes of Biarritz and star-studded Welsh outfit the Ospreys.

Munster, though, are likely to prove the toughest proposition of all.

The 2006 European champions are targeting a fourth Heineken final appearance in nine seasons, and they will arrive at Coventry’s 32,000-capacity Ricoh Arena as firm favourites.

But Saracens boss Gaffney, who used to be Munster’s director of rugby, does not want his team to allow a golden opportunity to pass them by.

He said: “The Heineken Cup is the pinnacle of club rugby, but we are not satisfied with having made the semi-finals of the competition.

“Very few teams get this far – and that is why we must seize this chance.

“But we will have to front up. If we don’t do that against Munster, we are in for a very long afternoon.

“They have some formidable players, and when you look through their squad you realise you are facing practically an international team – just as we did in the quarter-finals against the Ospreys.

“So we can expect the intensity to be fierce and near Test-match level. However, we know that if we perform to our ability, we have the players who can compete, and there are areas we believe we can match or better them.

“The key is to play to our strengths.”

Gaffney fields the same pack that accounted for the Ospreys, including England World Cup winner Richard Hill in what could be his final game before retirement.

Munster rugby director Declan Kidney, meanwhile, has chosen the side originally selected for the quarter-final victory over Gloucester.

On that occasion, prop Marcus Horan was forced out after suffering a back spasm just before kick-off at Kingsholm, with Tony Buckley answering an SOS to replace him.

But Horan now starts in a team that sees Tomas O’Leary continuing at scrum-half, preferred to the vastly-experienced Ireland international Peter Stringer.

And O’Leary’s opposite number, Saracens skipper Neil de Kock, knows his team can draw inspiration from how they grounded the Ospreys.

He said: “I think our performance against the Ospreys was definitely one of our best of the season. The way we played against the Ospreys is where we want to be as a team.

“But we then took five steps back the following weekend against Gloucester, so it is our consistency, rather than our ability to produce one-off performances, that worries us.

“Munster are a very physical side, so we have to get it right in the contact area or it is going to be a very long afternoon on Sunday.

“Alan Gaffney’s knowledge of Munster is clearly going to be massively important for us as he has a great deal of know-how and insight into how the side ticks.

“I know that Munster have changed a couple of personnel since he was there, but their game focus and style of play hasn’t changed much since he left.

“Having said that, although this will stand us in good stead, we still have to go out on the pitch and do the business.”