Opportunity knocks for Munster and Johann van Graan as Leinster come to town

Munster head coach Johann van Graan: Has named a strong side for the clash with rivals Leinster. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Just once has Johann van Graan tasted victory over Leinster since his arrival as Munster head coach in November 2017, on a giddy Stephen's night at Thomond Park 11 months into his tenure.

One win in eight attempts, three of them in consecutive Guinness PRO14 semi-finals, does not bode well for a head coach with ambitions of breaking his province’s 10-year trophy drought later this season but if ever there was a time for Munster supporters to approach a game against the old enemy with genuine optimism it is surely tonight ahead of the champions’ trip to Thomond Park.

This evening’s entertainment has all the ingredients for a classic interprovincial derby save for the continued absence of spectators. These are two teams with equally impressive records so far this season, with eight wins apiece from nine league matches and within striking distance of progress straight to the PRO14 as winners of their respective conferences. Both are unbeaten in two rounds of European competition and each with an away win in France in the record books while van Graan and Leo Cullen have both taken full advantage of the ability to field close to their strongest sides in Limerick tonight.

When this fixture was first scheduled, for St Stephen’s night, that may not have been possible due to the IRFU’s player welfare guidelines on the workloads of its international stars but four weeks on and two days out from an Ireland squad announcement for the Guinness Six Nations opener against Wales in Cardiff 15 days hence, both provinces will be firing with both barrels going into this game.

If the Munster boss is as optimistic for a victory as many supporters appear to be, then was keeping his own counsel this week, referring only to the narrow margins he believes have separated the two sides in those seven defeats he has experienced against the men in blue.

Leinster may have been the last away team to win at Thomond Park 13 months ago but if any team is capable of ending that run it is the defending champions, as van Graan knows only too well, which is why last Tuesday all he would commit to in the way of predicting a positive outcome to tonight’s encounter was: “I’d certainly believe we are in a good space. But they are also in a pretty good space.”

Having both rebounded from defeats on the first weekend of 2021 with significant victories in the last of their festive derbies a week later, this is a keenly-poised derby and if van Graan was not willing to say it, his South African compatriot Damian de Allende was certain his side are in a much better place than when they slumped to that 13-3 semi-final defeat in the rain at the Aviva on September 4.

“I think so, actually I know so,” the Springbok centre said. “The way the older guys have stuck their hands up, the way the younger guys have grown up and taken ownership of their roles and their positions has been quite outstanding. We had a few hiccups along the way with injuries and Covid and even with that the youngsters still managed to pull off some amazing wins, away from home as well.

“That’s quite incredible and once you get that right in your squad, that the youngsters are putting up their hands and putting the older guys under pressure, that’s when you really get the best out of each other.

“We have been doing that quite well and we’ll just kick on with that and just carry on working hard and enjoying ourselves like we have over these past few weeks.”

Munster will certainly have to work hard if they are to repeat that December 2018 victory over Leinster tonight. They have shown this season, particularly in their stunning win over Clermont last month that they are now better equipped to undo a defence that has had little trouble in dealing with their attacking threats in every game other than that one since 2017. On what is sure to be a chilly night on a soggy pitch, though, Leinster scrum coach Robin McBryde is expecting some of the more rudimentary elements of the Munster gameplan to emerge rather than the bells and whistles recently on display.

"As much as they may offer a little bit more we can't look any further, as a pack of forwards anyway, than upfront,” McBryde said. “It's the same old story isn't it? It's won and lost up front. We're expecting a good stern test.”