PREVIEW Treviso v Munster:Treviso have won six matches from 15, one of those a victory over Ospreys in the first match of the season last August. Munster currently sit in ninth place from 15 played.
The figures make this match a little tighter than people might think. Rob Penney’s men are also two places off the top four so a win in Italy is required to keep the play-offs within realistic sight.
To aid that ambition Felix Jones and James Downey return for the Sunday game in Treviso. Jones had minor surgery on a knee after Munster’s Heineken Cup game against Racing Metro on January 20th that has kept him sidelined until now. Downey’s last outing was also in that game as he has missed the last two outings with a rib injury.
Outside centre Casey Laulala also returns to the starting team for the first time since he partnered Downey in the Pro12 match against Ulster in Thomond Park just after Christmas. Following a stint home in New Zealand, he returned to action as a 49th minute replacement for Ivan Dineen in Parc Y Scarlets last Saturday.
James Coughlan and Tommy O’Donnell return from the Ireland set-up to make the trip as does Damien Varley, who was a late withdrawal from the squad last weekend (knee injury).The team will again be captained by Mike Sherry.
Last time they meet in the league was back in September and Munster won 19-6, which was close enough but like Penney, head coach, Franco Smith, has several athletes with the Italian national squad for today’s match in Rome against Wales.
Unlike Penney, Treviso don’t have much strength in depth and cannot patch up the squad as well as Munster can. Last week Leinster tonked them 40-5 in the RDS.
In addition Treviso’s only win so far in 2013 was 17-14 at home to Ospreys in the European Cup in January. But they do have a decent home record and have won three of their last four home games at the Stadio Monigo. Munster will have ambitions to win this one and a bonus point would help.
TREVISO: B Williams; L Nitoglia, A Pratichetti, G La Grange, G Toniolatti; A Di Bernardo, F Semenzato; M Rizzo, G Maistri, J Roux, V Bernabo, C Van Zyl (c), D Budd, F Giusti, C Loamanu. Replacements: F Sbaraglini, M Muccignat, P Di Santo, M Fuser, M Filippucci, J Ambrosini, L Morisi, T Iannone.
MUNSTER: F Jones; D Hurley, C Laulala, J Downey, J Murphy; I Keatley, D Williams; W du Preez, M Sherry (c), S Archer; I Nagle, B Holland; P Butler, T O'Donnell, J Coughlan. Replacements: D Varley, J Ryan, BJ Botha, D Foley, CJ Stander, C Sheridan, JJ Hanrahan, I Dineen.
Referee: N Paterson (SRU)
Verdict: Munster win.
