RUGBY HEINEKEN CUP:THIS IS turning into a tricky October for Munster and much hinges on the visit of Toulon to Limerick on Saturday. Yesterday's confirmation that Sam Tuitupou had been cited for a dangerous tackle on Paul Hodgson during last weekend's defeat at London Irish was balanced by the return of Jerry Flannery to training yesterday. Flannery has been named in Munster's provisional squad for what will be billed as an elemental dual between new money and local pride.
Toulon carry a dazzling international cast of players on their books while Munster – although hardly made up of the best and brawniest from the local tavern – have been cutting and pasting their team sheets according to injury and availability. The possible absence of Tuitupou will call for further improvisation.
“We certainly knew straight after the game that the citing process was in place,” said Tony McGahan after training yesterday.
“It is disruptive, yeah. But we are used to it, you don’t get too many weeks in the season where you have a perfect run-in with regards to availability or players with injuries or players not being able to train. It is just the normal practice that unfortunately you get used to. It certainly doesn’t help, but it is part of it.”
It was Tuitupou who scored the late try concocted from nothing by Ronan O’Gara in that 23-17 disappointment against the Exiles. That loss returns Munster to the familiar country of yet another all-or-nothing performance in front of the dauntless home support in Thomond Park.
“We want to win this game obviously and you have to win your home games to qualify,” admitted David Wallace, who came on as a replacement against London Irish and whose slashing run gave Munster the platform for that late try. “So I don’t there is anything different there to any other years.”
Wallace smiled at the suggestion that the match was a confrontation between Mercenaries and Local Lads. “It’s certainly not the way we look at it. I think we look at their team as a star-studded team of great talent who are going very well at the moment as well. It will take a huge performance from us in order to beat them.
“I suppose we have Thomond Park and the great crowd that we have here but that’s not going to win it for us at the end of the day. It’s going to take a huge performance.”
Wallace’s limited minutes have been one of the marked changes in the Munster pack this year and that late surge, when he scattered the Exiles like bowling pins, was a stark reminder of what he has to offer. The Limerick man grinned when offered the compliment that it was “vintage” Wallace, noting that he didn’t like the word very much. “It might mean you’re old.”
But having David Wallace as a replacement is also a pertinent reminder that Munster are not exactly impoverished when it comes to options. Reviewing the London Irish match, McGahan rejected the idea that Munster might have begun introducing reserves earlier.
“No, we felt at the time – David Wallace came on early for Niall Ronan obviously – our scrum was doing a good job even though we only had one feed on our own ball for the whole game. Those were strange stats that were there. Other players that came on made a great impact. Duncan Williams showed what he can do in his short cameo, he gave us a great boost at the end.
“You give respect to the players who started the game and played through the toughest periods of it. A lot of subs come on in the last 10-15 minutes and look like world-beaters but in order to produce that the other players have done the tough work in order to break down the opposition.
“We are a side that backs ourselves on fitness and on work-rate so whoever comes on is usually going to get the rewards of that. We are really pleased with the bench that we had last week and the impact that they had and we’re sure whoever is on the bench this week will add that as well.”
Irrespective of the role he is asked to play, Wallace anticipates an attritional afternoon for the Munster pack on Saturday. Ireland is one of the very few notable rugby nations absent from Toulon’s multi-cultural cast. It is predicted that coach Phillipe Saint-Andre will go with Jonny Wilkinson at number 10 rather than former Leinster talisman Felipe Contempomi but regardless of who is pulling the strings, Toulon will “feel” like a French team.
“It can be slightly different in terms of the way that they play, they like to play the ball in hand a bit more and offload,” Wallace said.
“Sometimes you get quicker more open games as well. I suppose it’s our duty to try and stop that and slow them down. They’re definitely up there. You don’t need to be a sports genius to know that.
“You just look at the names and the experience that they have there. You look at their back row with guys like (George) Smith and (Juan Fernandez) Lobbe, and (Jonny) Wilkinson and (Paul) Sackey out on the wing. They’ve household names in their team and they seem to be playing very well and it makes them very dangerous.”
MUNSTER squad (v Toulon):Du Preez, Horan, Sherry, Flannery, Varley, Hayes, Hurley, Buckley, Holland, Ryan, O'Callaghan, O'Driscoll, Quinlan, Wallace, Ronan, Leamy, O'Mahony, Coughlan, Williams, Stringer, O'Gara, Deasy, Warwick, Barnes, Earls, Murphy, Tuitupou, Howlett, Hurley.
