Jones hails 'immense' ROG

With Ronan O’Gara poised to make his 100th Heineken Cup appearance in this Saturday’s meeting with Scarlets, his Welsh counterpart Stephen Jones has voiced his admiration for the Irish outhalf.

With 1,221 points to his name in the tournament, O’Gara reigns as the Heineken Cup’s leading scorer and Saturday will mark another historic achievement as he becomes only the second player to amass 100 appearances, following Munster teammate John Hayes.

Having rescued vital victories for Munster in their opening two Pool 1 games with dramatic late drop-goals, O’Gara proved that he’s as important as ever to the province something which Jones believes deserves great credit.

"Getting to 100 Heineken Cup matches will be an immense achievement for Rog," said Jones, who is second in the tournament scoring list with 860 points in 80 games.

"He has proved what a quality player he is for Munster and Ireland down the years, but nobody needs me to tell them that.

"He has been at the heart of what Munster do for so long and he can vary his game by putting the ball through the hands or by pinning a side into the corners.

"He knows just what he has to do and when to do it - you just have to look at what he did with the drop goals in the games against Northampton and Castres.”

The Scarlets shock bonus point victory over Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens has left them top of Pool with Munster in second position just one point behind.

With the teams so close, both squads know that these back-to-back fixtures could decide who progresses from the Pool and Jones is excited by the challenge.

"These back-to-back fixtures are huge when it comes to the outcome of the Pool and everybody at Parc y Scarlets is looking forward to the visit of Munster.

"We have already sold more than 10,000 tickets for the game and there has been a buzz about this game for a couple of weeks.

"Munster have proved over and over that what a force they are in Europe, while we have been there or thereabouts but fell away for a few years. We are getting back there now and the seeds were sown a couple of years ago and this season we have really pushed on.

"It's a cracking match up between two sides which have history and know each other so well.

"It's a huge game for us and we have to perform. Munster are a well organised, well drilled outfit and they play with real passion and commitment - we know we have to match that to stand a chance.

"We have some really good young players who are now experienced young players and that is very important in a competition like the Heineken Cup. Everybody can see that the Scarlets are now heading in the right direction and it is a really exciting time at Parc y Scarlets.”