To what extent the Red Army travels to the Aviva Stadium this Saturday for their URC semi-final against Leinster (kick-off 5.30pm) remains to be seen, but history has taught them to do so with a degree of trepidation.
Munster’s sole win in 13 games against the auld enemy at the Aviva, since the pair effectively launched the redeveloped stadium in October 2010 when Leinster won 13-9 in Joe Schmidt’s first taste of this derby, came in October 2014 under Anthony Foley.
Munster deservedly won a slightly wild game 34-23 through first-half tries by James Cronin, Robin Copeland and Ian Keatley, who scored 21 points in all, and despite incurring four yellow cards in the second half.
Munster’s record
But otherwise, it’s been a graveyard, save for a win over Connacht behind closed doors. Indeed, add defeats in a Champions Cup semi-final against Saracens, a Pro12 final against Scarlets and last season’s quarter-final loss by dint of a goalkicking competition against Toulouse, and Munster’s record is played 17, won two, lost 15.
More pertinent, therefore, will be how Munster deal with the baggage they have against Leinster, especially in the Aviva.
“It’s quite simple really,” maintains forwards coach Andi Kyriacou. I know it sounds cheesy, it’s taking it week to week and take a consistent look at how we can get better from the previous performance.
“We feel that the Glasgow game here was a big catalyst for that, the Sharks game in Europe was a big catalyst in what we did in the two games in South Africa and the game against Glasgow last week. And it’s just important that we keep improving performance-on-performance. That’s all we’re striving for.”
Helpfully or not, this is a somewhat redesigned team under a new coaching ticket.
“I don’t know if it wipes the slate clean but it’s important to know what happened historically. It can be a driving force for us, but in terms of where we are performance-wise, we played well against them the last day here [St Stephen’s Day] in Thomond Park.
“Look, we’re in a semi-final. It’s a shootout on the day and both teams, I’d imagine, will be striving for their best performance possible to get into a final.”
Munster certainly won’t be winning next Saturday if they incur another four yellow cards. Toulouse and the Sharks conceded two yellow cards apiece, during which Leinster scored 49 points without reply.
“Whoever it is, like always we have to make sure we conduct ourselves with the highest of discipline and impose our game on who we are playing against.” But more so against Leinster.
So, how do Munster beat them?
“The same [way] we have beaten all the other teams we have played away these past few weeks,” said Kyriacou. “It’s physicality, it’s moving fast and concentrating on us.
“If we sit back and let them play, they’re unbelievably good. We have to make sure our minds are on us and our performance and not what Leinster can bring because, like, we have seen a number of times, if you sit back and let them play, they don’t need an invitation, they’ll go and do it.”
While Leinster are likely to juggle their resources with their forthcoming Champions Cup final rematch against La Rochelle next Saturday week, four Munster players departed for head injury assessments in their quarter-final win over Glasgow last Friday, meaning Springboks’ World Cup winner RG Snyman, 100-plus Test veteran Conor Murray and former All Blacks’ centre Malakai Fekitoa are all sidelined along with Calvin Nash, one of their most improved players this season.
The odds on Peter O’Mahony leading the team out also look short given he has been for a scan on the arm injury which forced him off within five minutes in Scotstoun.
“It’s purely just part of the routine of the injury,” said Kyriacou regarding O’Mahony’s scan. “So they can make informed decisions, how hard we can push him, how he feels, if he has something the medics can help him with in terms of getting his head around the injury and things like that. But look, he’s still getting ready to play until told otherwise.”
Hooker Diarmuid Barron (shoulder) is also in a race against time, while the absence of the in-form Murray is compounded by the absence of Paddy Patterson (knee).
At least Munster’s stock of locks to partner Jean Kleyn runs deep. Tadhg Beirne completed a remarkable 80-minute comeback in Scotstoun in his first outing since suffering a leg injury in Ireland’s win over France last February at blindside.
Players in the mix
Fineen Wycherley has performed strongly off the bench in the wins over the Stormers and Glasgow either side of playing 80 in the draw against the Sharks.
Kyriacou confirmed Tom Ahern and Edwin Edogbo are back in the mix and said: “We have got a lot of depth there and we trust anyone we put in there.”
John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen and Jack O’Donoghue are backrow options,
But Munster’s back three options are this — with Keith Earls, Andrew Conway, Simon Zebo and Liam Coombes all hors de combat, even if Kyriacou said Earls (groin) did some restricted mobility work at training yesterday
Kyriacou did name-check the Young Munster and academy back-three player Patrick Campbell, which may seem a likelier alternative than starting Joey Carbery at full-back and shifting Mike Haley to the wing.
