MUNSTER fly over to Bath for the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup (still better known in this parish as the Heineken Cup) this Saturday, 8pm.
Two-time winners Munster have not lifted the trophy since 2008 but maybe this could be their season.
But the Premier Rugby side appear to be in form also and since the start of their League they have been buzzing and are currently in third place behind Gloucester and Sale.
On Sunday, Bath got the better of Saracens on their own patch, 29-36 (Henry Arundell opened and closed Bath’s try tally with a brace, sandwiching scores from Thomas du Toit, Will Butt and Arthur Green), so appear in scoring form.
The Rec is always a difficult sod for visitors but Munster will be well up to the challenge.
Despite the weekend’s ‘sucker-punch’ URC loss to Stormers at Thomond Park, there is a particularly good balance to the side with a very strong backline of Diarmuid Kilgallen, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell and Thaakir Abrahams, while Jack Crowley and Craig Casey have been in great form all season.
On the injury front, Jack O’Donoghue failed a HIA afterwards and immediately entered the return-to-play protocols.
Leading 21-6 at the break on Saturday, it looked good for Munster, but failing to add to their scoreboard tally and to their unbeaten run could yet prove costly.
It was the Stormers who benefited from their visit and remain unbeaten at the top of the table. Head coach John Dobson said that he was surprised by the victory. “I honestly thought at the break that we were well beaten, so we emptied the bench and the placements made the difference,” he commented.
That change of tactic clinched the win, the Stormers scoring three tries in a 14-minute play.
No doubt there was some questioning during the week in the home camp and it was unusual to see them concede penalties in the second half.
Back to Dobson. “There is a scrum culture in South Africa that at every scrum we’re believing that we can get a penalty on our own ball by pressing the diesel button,” he said.