Munster to take cautious route

They could fill Thomond Park two or three times over; the cameras will be there; Munster will be defending their unbeaten record…

They could fill Thomond Park two or three times over; the cameras will be there; Munster will be defending their unbeaten record this season and their unbeaten European Cup record at Thomond, and stand one win away from the quarter-finals. It could hardly be set any better, and in a way, therein lies the worry.

In short, records are made to be broken and Munster are putting the lot on the line against a crack outfit still smarting from their throbbing 35-34 home defeat in the first fixture.

Furthermore, whereas in the past Thomond Park has been an impenetrable fortress for visiting sides, under Declan Kidney they've gradually broken with all their old traditions.

This season they've been all-conquering nomads, winning the interprovincials at six different venues and to date their four European Cup wins have been at four different grounds. They are less dependent upon the Thomond factor.

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This may be one of those occasions when the Thomond factor could be a bit of a double-edged sword. There's also the nagging suspicion Saracens' commendable home-and-away double over Pontypridd has not only played them strongly into contention in Pool Four, but has left Munster open to a bit of a late mugging.

Because of the competition's rules, should Saracens usurp Munster's one-point winning margin in Vicarage Road then Munster's hopes will rest almost certainly on a need to win their final game against Pontypridd at Sardis Road - akin to needing to beat Munster in Munster. Not only are Saracens a seriously good side, undoubtedly one of the best two or three in the Allied Dunbar, but they are still smarting from that Vicarage Road defeat. Both camps persist with the theory that Munster snatched that one, but it has to be said that they deserved to on the back of four top-class tries in the second half.

The problem is that Munster may well have to scale those heights again, with their pack generating a momentum akin to that day and the backs providing moments of sheer inspiration. It is of some consolation that their inspirational leader Mick Galwey and the in-form flanker David Wallace did some light work over the last two days and Kidney is relatively hopeful that one or both will make it.

Similarly, first-choice wings John Kelly and Anthony Horgan both trained yesterday, and a final decision on all four will be made today.

Saracens are at full strength, with Paul Wallace confined to the bench.

By all accounts, the Saracens defence has tightened considerably, and in three of their last four games Saracens have kept their try-line intact.

It will be interesting to see how the relatively active sides of the festive period, namely those from England and Wales, compare against the relatively idle ones from France (who've been inactive since December 22nd), Ireland and Scotland.

Certainly it could give today's visitors an edge in cohesiveness at the outset, and bearing in mind Munster's penchant for sleepy starts, Kidney forewarns that a repeat of Saracens' early free-scoring in the first game could be ominous. "I'd say they'd be a little cuter about battening down the hatches."

As Kidney puts it: "We realise that we're going to have to play really, really well to beat them." But if any Irish province is capable of it, Munster are.

Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times