Permutations can wait as Munster focused on getting the win
Defence coach Denis Leamy, left, with Oli Jager at University of Limerick this week. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The slide rules can wait until Sunday night. Munster’s ultimate fate in the shake-up for the Champions Cup knockout rounds will not be decided until then, when the final whistle blows on Exeter Chiefs’ visit to Bayonne.
It will take the biggest of upsets from the French club to oust Graham Rowntree’s men from a place in the draw for April’s Round of 16 but their chances of landing a home tie rely on Bayonne turning over the unbeaten Chiefs to allow Munster to sneak into second place in Pool 3 ahead of the Devonians.
Not that Munster will be sweating over their potential seeding for the knockout stages. There is a victory to be sought first, this evening against pool leaders Northampton Saints at a near sell-out Thomond Park. As far as defence coach Denis Leamy is concerned, that is a big enough concern, despite the prompting of the province’s lead analyst.
“George Murray sent me a calculator,” Leamy said, “I opened it up and just closed it again. I got a nosebleed!
“What do we need? To win the game (against) a quality Northampton side, they will take incredible beating.
“We need to play very, very well. Anything after that, it's not really relevant. If we're in a position, we'll see. At this point in time it's the process of preparing for an incredible battle. I think the teams are quite evenly matched, if they aren't favourites. That's the challenge.” Munster go into this final pool game in much better shape than might have been expected following a miserable six weeks up to seven days ago. Their impressive and much-needed 28-19 win in Toulon has put a much brighter complexion on their season and a victory on home soil this evening would continue that return of the feelgood factor.
No better way to sign off ahead of the Six Nations then, than with a victory over a Saints team in flying form, though as Leamy pointed out this week, this is a very different side to the one Munster beat home and away in last season’s pool.
“We spoke about it,” the defence coach said, “I showed the boys pictures. We’ve played them twice and this will be the third time in the last year. We know them quite well but what I would say is they’ve moved to another level around all aspects of their game.
“They’re a better team again than what we played last year. Their attack is class. It’s really, really good. Their speed of ball, you know, quickest ruck in the Premiership. How we deal with that, how we manage that will be really important because they’ve got such quality.
“Just even take their middle segment of their team. They’ve (Courtney) Lawes, (Tom) Pearson, (Juarno) Augustus, you’ve got (Alex) Mitchell who runs everything for them, he’s a brilliant conductor, Fin Smith, and (Rory) Hutchinson. They’re quality, just brilliant attacking rugby players. Their attack is really pretty scary to be honest with you. It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen an attack that’s choreographed and put together, really well put together.
“So it’s a big challenge around how we control the speed of ball, how we fill the pitch. And in terms of our short sides as well, with Alex Mitchell, we’ve got to control our numbers. He’s somebody we’ll have to watch very, very keenly because he just has the ability to pick off defenders and bring other guys into the game.
“I said to the boys this morning, everything we talk about, everything we do as a defensive unit, our playbook, it’s in vogue for the weekend, it’s going to be needed. Everything we do and practice will need to be right on point because they’re a genuinely good team.” Munster, though, did not become a bad team over the last while and last weekend’s win by the Med served as a timely reminder of just what their offence is capable of producing, with four excellently manufactured tries at the prompting of half-back duo Craig Casey and Jack Crowley, two of nine from the province heading to Ireland’s Six Nations training camp in Portugal next Wednesday Lock Tom Ahern was named as a training panellist, outside the main 34-man squad, as was tighthead prop Oli Jager, set to make his first European start having completed the return to play protocols following a head injury at Connacht on January 1.
Jager’s inclusion is the only Munster change from the win over Toulon, and Leamy expects a similarly ambitious mindset from his players to the one shown at the Mayol seven days ago.
“We’re an attacking team, that’s what we do in terms of we go and play, that’s our mantra, to go and attack. I’m very happy for us to go and do that.
“And look, if we can keep the ball for high minutes in play, that’s excellent. Attack is certainly the best form of defence, no doubt about that.” MUNSTER: S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; T Ahern, T Beirne - captain; P O’Mahony, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
Replacements: E Clarke, J Wycherley, J Ryan, B Gleeson, A Kendellen, C Murray, J Carbery, S O’Brien.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS: G Furbank – captain; T Freeman, F Dingwall, R Hutchinson, O Sleightholme; F Smith, A Mitchell; A Waller, C Langdon, T Davison; T Mayanavanua, A Coles; C Lawes, T Pearson, J Augustus.
Replacements: R Smith, E Iyogun, E Millar Mills, A Moon, S Graham, T James, B Odendaal, C Savala.
Referee: Tual Trainini (France) end
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