Munster v Castres Thomond Park, 5.15 On TV: RTÉ 2, Sky Sports 2It has history, it has needle, it has a whiff of vengeance about it, it has its heroes backed up against the wall in a typical must-win scenario and, of course, it has the best bearpit in European rugby.
It has history, it has needle, it has a whiff of vengeance about it, it has its heroes backed up against the wall in a typical must-win scenario and, of course, it has the best bearpit in European rugby.
Somehow, you had a feeling the latest instalment of the Munster-Castres saga at Thomond Park today would pan out like this.
Munster were dealt the cruellest of hands last week, when welcoming back their current internationals after a month's absence with just a six-day turn-around for their 19-12 defeat at Stade Pierre Antoine. Given their performance last week, when they made little use of a plentiful supply of possession from the line-out especially, and the one-eyed refereeing of Nigel Whitehouse in the last quarter, obtaining a bonus point was just that.
Alan Gaffney has been moved to making three changes, restoring Alan Quinlan and the fit-again Denis Leamy to the back row at the expense of Jim Williams, who moves to the bench, and David Wallace, who doesn't even make the 22, while Mikey Mullins has been recalled to the midfield with Shaun Payne reverting to the wing and Mossie Lawlor to the bench.
"Quinny and Denis are both very, very good players and last week the game didn't develop for Wally," explained Gaffney yesterday. "We didn't play the game we should have played last week. We didn't play on the front foot."
Given they lost only one of their own line-outs and pilfered seven off the Castres throw, Munster's use of the ball was, as Gaffney said understatedly "a bit disappointing. Brian (Hickey) put it perfectly when he said we didn't play with enough ambition. But we'll do a lot better after another week together and, with more belief in what we can do, we'll be okay."
The Rob Henderson-Mullins partnership has been employed three times this season, and not once in Europe, since its porous afternoon in that memorable semi-final against Wasps, with Mullins out of favour. But his selection, with Payne shifting to his more familiar position, gives the backline a far more potent look.
"Mikey does give us a cutting edge," admitted Gaffney. "I believe we can still take them on up front, but we've got to take them on right across the pitch."
Indeed, there was nothing particularly worrisome from a Munster perspective with regard to the setpieces last week but even though both Castres wingers were lying deep in the first meeting, Munster employed far too much of a kicking game and one can only recall them going wide to Christian Cullen once in the whole match.
Castres have made three injury enforced changes, restoring winger Benjamin Lhande and the ultra-physical former French international Richard Dourthe to the three-quarter line for Bradley Fleming and Mark Denney, and shifting Rodrigo Capo Ortega to the second row in place of Nicolas Spanghero to accommodate Romain Froment at blindside flanker.
Mario Ledesma again doesn't make it to renew his feud with some of the Munster forwards though his fellow Puma, Mauricio Reggiardo, packs down instead of Justin Fitzpatrick to renew old acquaintances with John Hayes and co.
As is often the case when sides meet each other back-to-back, the return fixture can become something of a grudge match and all the more so if there is a bit of history. This will be the eighth meeting between Munster and Castres (with Munster leading 4-3) and the enmity between the two has been wellchronicled, dating back to the triple instalment of three seasons ago when Ismaela Lassissi had his suspension for biting Peter Clohessy overturned.
Not that it needed it, but last week's spat between the voluble Paul Volley and Ronan O'Gara adds to the malevolent air this afternoon. The ex-Wasps flanker will no doubt be greeted warmly, not that it will bother him in the slightest, and all eyes will be on these two whenever they are in close proximity.
O'Gara, who becomes the fourth Munster player to play 50 Heineken Cup matches today and needs only six points to eclipse Diego Dominguez' record haul of 645 points in the competition. He will appreciate having Mullins outside him but it would help O'Gara no end as playmaker if the Munster forwards take the ball into contact with considerably more dyanmism than they did last week.
One imagines, too, that Munster will play with more intensity and at a higher tempo - mixing in a few quick taps - than they did a week ago. Hell hath no fury than a beaten Munster team, especially when they are in Thomond Park.
Defeat usually brings out the best in them. And nobody beats Munster twice.
MUNSTER: C Cullen; S Payne, M Mullins, R Henderson, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, A Quinlan, D Leamy, A Foley (capt). Replacements: J Blaney, G McIlwham, T Hogan, J Williams, M Prendergast, P Burke, M Lawlor.
CASTRES: U Mola; B Lhande, R Dourthe, L Marticorena, D Bory; X Sadourny, A Albouy; M Reggiardo, R Vigneaux (capt), A Galasso, L Nallet, R Capo Ortega, R Froment, A Bias, P Volley. Replacements: G Argenese, J Fitzpatrick, D Barrier, J Deen, N Raffault, G Metcalfe, N Morlaes.
Referee: Roy Maybank (England).
Previous meetings: (1995-96) Castres 19 Munster 12. (2000-01) Castres 29 Munster 32; Munster 21 Castres 11. (2001-02) Munster 28 Castres 23; Castres 21 Munster 13; (s/f) Munster 25 Castres 17 (Beziers); (2004-05) Castres 19 Munster 12.
Formguide: Munster: 15-9 v Harlequins (h); 20-18 v Ospreys (a); 12-19 v Castres (a). Castres: 38-17 v Ospreys (h); 23-23 v Harlequins (a); 19-12 v Munster (h).
Betting (Paddy Powers): 1/5 Munster, 25/1 Draw, 3/1 Castres. Handicap odds (= Castres +11pts) 10/11 Munster, 20/1 Draw, 10/11 Castres.
Forecast: Munster to win.
