RUGBY: RONAN O'GARA commandeered the headlines by virtue of his drop goal heroics in Munster's two Heineken Cup victories to date this season, a feat he would be content to replicate, not primarily for personal approbation, but if it was the precursor to a third consecutive win for the Irish province.
This afternoon in Llanelli he’ll reach another milestone by becoming the second player – team-mate John Hayes was the first – to play 100 matches in the tournament. It’s a remarkable testament to longevity of excellence. In 13 years he’s been at the epicentre of many a triumph.
As he stated in the build-up to the match the latest garland is something on which he’ll reflect when his playing days are past; his immediate focus is on driving his team to another win. It’ll be tough for a variety of reasons, some of which may be traced to Munster’s flawed performances in victory against the Northampton Saints and Castres Olympique; others attributable to the challenge that a rejuvenated Scarlets will muster.
In those two previous European outings Munster have played fitfully in quality terms, rescued by sheer determination and nerveless execution. They cannot bank on climbing out of the abyss for a third time.
The absence of Doug Howlett, who provided the sharpest of cutting edges on days when Munster’s back play lacked guile, will be keenly felt. Simon Zebo is a fine prospect but it is for others to compensate more conspicuously for the sidelined All Blacks. The young Cork Constitution player will have enough to contend with in trying to manage the 19-year-old colossus George North.
The repositioning of Denis Hurley to fullback and Johne Murphy to the right wing appears to offer a better fit, while Will Chambers’ second half cameo against Castres suggests that the Australian is now more attuned to his playing surroundings.
The visitors may be able to engineer an edge at set-pieces and they will look to dominate the collisions on the fringes; it’s the most effective way of denying the Scarlets backline the quick ball from which they are capable of inflicting serious damage.
Rhys Priestland’s brilliant World Cup form has seen him usurp Stephen Jones at national and club level and he forms a halfback partnership alongside the highly-rated 21-year-old scrumhalf Gareth Davies. The Welsh club’s three-quarter line is chock-full of muscle and pace. Centre Jonathan Davies and North have both recovered from injuries to start.
The Scarlets have made 13 changes from the side beaten by Ulster last weekend but perhaps a more representative overview in personnel terms is that coach Nigel Davies makes just one change – Rob McCusker replaces Jonathan Edwards at flanker – from the team that travelled to Franklin’s Gardens and beat the Northampton Saints 28-23.
Munster largely manage pressure-laden occasions brilliantly while their hosts are yet unproven in that regard. It is a point touched upon by Scarlets’ coach Davies: “There’s obviously a lot of tension building for this game but we’ve kept things very focused. There’s a great atmosphere in the group and the energy and motivation levels are very high.
“They [Munster] bring such a strong desire and a great team spirit. We all know they are a fantastic team and the threats they have on the field.
“Simply we have to match that and then bring an intensity and physicality to this game, where they have been able to get the better of us in the past.”
The visitors must control the pace and tempo of the game, denying the Scarlets the front-foot ball they crave and look to exert a vice-like grip through territorial dominance and clever variation. They might not fully accomplish that goal which may leave them on the losing side but they ought to get close enough that they do not return home empty-handed.
SCARLETS: L Williams; G North, S Williams, J Davies, S Lamont; R Priestland, G Davies; I Thomas, M Rees, R Thomas; I Timani, D Welch; A Shingler, R McCusker, B Morgan. Replacements: K Owens, P John, D Manu, K Murphy, J Edwards, T Knoyle, S Jones, V Iongi.
MUNSTER:D Hurley; J Murphy, W Chambers, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O'Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, D Varley, BJ Botha; D Ryan, P O'Connell (capt); P O'Mahony, N Ronan, J Coughlan. Replacements: D Fogarty, M Horan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, D Leamy, T O'Leary, I Keatley, D Barnes.
Referee: Romain Poite (France).
Verdict: Scarlets to win.
