Munster aware it's no gimme as they head to Italy

Munster are expecting a physical, fast paced game against Zebre.

Sat, 28 Sep, 2024 - 06:15

Simon Lewis

Munster take their fledgling URC campaign to northern Italy on Saturday afternoon with a rookie fly-half, a makeshift midfield and a wariness of their hosts’ ability to pounce on the slightest error. Yet they will take the field against Zebre Parma with faith in their personnel and confidence that the lessons of their helter-skelter opening-round win over Connacht have been learned.

As entertaining as the 35-33 round-one victory over their interprovinical rivals was for the neutrals at Thomond Park last Saturday, there were aspects of Munster’s performance in that 10-try thriller which provided lots of material for this week’s work-ons as far as the coaching ticket was concerned.

Throw in the absence of a handful of senior Ireland internationals, and nine call-ups to the Emerging Ireland squad departing for South Africa this weekend and ally that to a Zebre side whose second-half comeback in Cardiff delivered two tries and a 22-17 bonus-point defeat having trailed 17-3 at half-time and there was plenty food for thought to digest during this week’s preparations in Limerick ahead of round two.

“Absolutely,” confirmed forwards coach Andi Kyriacou. “We know what we’re facing. Anyone who goes over there and thinks it’s a gimme game is completely deluded.

“This is going to be an unbelievably physical, fast contest and we’ve got to make sure our physicality and our detail is bang on.

“They don’t go away, they’re a proud team, especially when they play at home. And we saw against Cardiff last weekend, if you take your foot off the gas they’ll just come back into it. They’re physical, they’re really good in broken play and their back three, the way they find space off scraps, off loose ball, is incredible and it’s something we’ve got to be really on this week.

“They’ve got a good set-piece, they’ve got threats across the field and we’ve got to make sure our game is really on point when we go over there this weekend.”

Given the carelessness with which Munster treated their own possession of the ball at times to the delight of a potent Connacht backline, there was plenty to fix, never mind the losses of starting fly-half Billy Burns and experienced New Zealand centre Alex Nankivell to injury.

Yet Kyriacou added: “We’re confident, There’s learnings to take from the Connacht game, absolutely and lots of things we’ve got to get better at but it’s all underpinned by our belief in what we do and I think we’ll see improvements from the weekend.”

Tony Butler will start at fly-half in Burns’ absence with a shoulder injury while there is a reconfiguration at centre as impressive debutant Tom Farrell switches from outside to inside and Shane Daly moves from left wing to the number 13 jersey for his first start there since a sole appearance there against the Cheetahs in his debut season in 2018.

Daly’s new role, after a testing pre-season run there in the home loss to Gloucester, sees Thaakir Abrahams move from right to left wing as Ireland wing and Munster player of the year Calvin Nash returns for his seasonal debut in the number 14 jersey.

Butler is handed his fourth start in his 10th senior appearance having secured victory over Connacht with two clutch conversions after replacing the summer signing from Ulster for the last 26 minutes.

The two other changes come in the forward pack with front-row rotations at both prop positions, with Josh Wycherley swapping his bench role with Jeremy Loughman on the loosehead side and Oli Jager moving from replacement to starter at tighthead as John Ryan goes the other way. In an unchanged back row, No.8 Gavin Coombes is set for his 100th Munster appearance.

With first-year scrum-half Ethan Coughlan and centre Sean O’Brien away with Emerging Ireland, elder statesman Conor Murray is drafted in as replacement number nine while Shay McCarthy moves onto the bench alongside potential debutant centre Bryan Fitzgerald and back-rower Jack Daly takes over cover duties from Alex Kendellen, who will captain the Irish touring squad in Bloemfontein.

There is no recognised fly-half in reserve with head coach Rowntree naming centre Bryan Fitzgerald and wing Shay McCarthy as his two additional backline replacements. Murray has deputised at 10 on occasion and taken goal-kicking responsibilities for both Munster and Ireland in the past, while Butler’s last start came against Zebre in Cork last March when he played the full 80 minutes in a 45-29 URC victory.

Rowntree and co. will be hoping has another day out to remember against the same opposition.

ZEBRE PARMA: G Prisciantelli; J Trulla, G Bertaccini, L Morisi, S Gesi; G Montemauri, A Fusco; D Fischetti - captain, T Di Bartolomeo, M Nocera; M Canali, L Krumov; D Ruggeri, S Locatelli, G Licata

Replacements: G Ribaldi, L Rizzoli, J Pitinari, A Zambonin, G Ferrari, P Baronio, S Gregory, G Da Re

MUNSTER: M Haley; C Nash, S Daly, T Farrell, T Abrahams; T Butler, C Casey; J Wycherley, D Barron - captain, O Jager; J Kleyn, F Wycherley; R Quinn, J Hodnett, G Coombes.

Replacements: N Scannell, J Loughman, J Ryan, J Daly, J O’Donoghue, C Murray, B Fitzgerald, S McCarthy.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)