Five
months ago, Ulster squared off against Munster in a tense situation that won't be replicated tomorrow night. Sunday 8th April was the
Heineken Cup Quarter-Final in Thomond Park, Limerick.
From my
lofty seat, three rows from the top of the East Stand, I could see everything –
Craig Gilroy’s mesmeric solo try, Ruan Pienaar’s majestic goal kicking, Tomas
O’Leary’s fatal knock on and the tears of 18,000 Munster fans. It was a day to
remember.
It was the
first time Munster had lost a knock out match in the European Cup at Thomond
Park. ‘Fortress Thomond’ had been breached by the noisy neighbours, whose fans
were jubilant. Those fans didn’t leave the stadium for nearly half an hour
after the match – the victory ‘parade’ went on that long. The iconic picture of
Stevie Ferris with his hands behind his ears will last in our memories.
But while
it’s still nice talking about a great win now, rewind back to before the
match and be brutally honest – did you think we were going to win? In my case,
driving down to Thomond I was weighing up all of the factors. The teams were
fairly balanced, maybe even slightly in our favour. But it was the so-called
‘Thomond factor’ that scared me most, and that impenetrable record that Munster
seemed to have. I went down in hope rather than expectation. But I knew we
could win.
And we
did.
Why am I
telling you this? Three reasons: one, I didn’t have a blog in April and I
wanted to give my basic views on the game; two, I just love watching Munster
lose!
And three,
it sets us up perfectly for tomorrow…
“Hell hath no fury like a Munster scorned.”
OK, so I
know that’s not exactly Shakespeare but it rings true – a Munster side who
desperately want revenge on you is a dangerous creature.
And Ulster
must be careful. The 23 players who will travel up to Belfast tomorrow will all
be looking to redeem the Red Army’s pride. Indeed, 11 of those 23 were part of
that Heineken Cup side and will not want to lose again, especially when not
just pride is at stake, but a domestic 100% record.
Yes, both
sides are two of three teams that are undefeated in the PRO12 so far (the
Scarlets being the other). And under new coaches, that is no mean feat
(amazingly, the same goes for the Scarlets), especially when those two coaches
are relatively unproven before their arrival in Ireland.
But which
side will be happier with their first two performances? On reflection you must
go with Ulster, who saw off two of last season’s semi-finalists, one of which
was actually the champions whom they beat on their home turf. Although they
weren’t fantastic performances, those two Ulster sides did what many Ulster
teams before them haven’t done before – they gritted it out and got the win.
That said,
Munster fans certainly won’t be unhappy either, they went to Murrayfield and
defeated last season’s Heineken Cup semi-finalists Edinburgh in a tough
encounter and also saw off a spirited Treviso side at home. However, their
performance against Treviso was shabby and was a game that other play-off
contenders would be targeting as a bonus point game. Results may be good,
performances maybe not.
So to the
game itself and Ulster welcome back Stephen Ferris and Andrew Trimble to the
first team for the first time since the Heineken Cup final. Paddy Jackson
returns after injury to partner Paul Marshall at half back, while Tom Court,
Nigel Brady and John Afoa make up an all-change front row.
Munster
also have internationals back in the shape of Ronan O’Gara, Conor Murray and
Keith Earls, but only to the bench. Donncha O’Callaghan returns to the team
once more, while David Kilcoyne starts in place of Wian du Preez at tighthead
prop. Their back line is unchanged.
But where
will the game be lost and won?
Two places
come to mind. One is the scrum, where Ulster made the platform for their win
against the Ospreys last week. Munster’s scrum is known for being rather
dominant, but without powerhouse du Preez at tighthead, will young prop David
Kilcoyne be able to stand up against World Cup winner John Afoa? The other
place is in the crowd. I know, rather cheesy, but it’s true. If the Ulster fans
get behind their boys from the very start it is very hard for away teams to win
in Ravenhill. The Ravenhill Roar could prove decisive.
I’m
feeling positive this week and our strong team out makes me feel even better. I
believe our scrum should dominate and with Stephen Ferris running at their back
line I can see us denying them a losing bonus point. Prediction – Ulster by 8.
Gatland roars to Lions job
I’m
surprised I haven’t written about this yet. Congratulations to Warren Gatland
for his deserved appointment as the 2013 British & Irish Lions coach for
their tour to Australia. Although, with not many other people putting their
hands, it made life very easy for the selectors.
But before
he’s even begun to look at what he wants to do with the Lions, he’s faced with issues.
Mainly in France. And yes, you’re probably thinking, ‘But France have nothing
to do with the Lions.’ Yes and no. Yes, they don’t provide any players. No,
they do have a league that has British & Irish players in it. And the Top14
sides are very strict on their release dates.
Why? Well,
the Top14 season finishes on the 1st June with the grand final, the
same day the Lions officially begin their tour with a friendly against the
Barbarians in Hong Kong. And with Toulon, Clermont, Perpignan and others vying
for a place in the final, many players may still be training for that final.
Players
playing in the Top14 that would be in contention for a Lions cap would include
Steffon Armitage (Toulon), Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon), Mike Phillips (Bayonne), Luke
Charteris (Perpignan), Lee Byrne (Clermont) and Gethin Jenkins (Toulon), among
others.
Gatland
has said that he will try and force the French sides to release their players
if they are indeed called up. But the French sides have reacted angrily saying
the players have signed contracts and should stick by them. It’s not a case
that will be resolved quickly…
But moving
on from the negatives, it seems likely that Gatland will appoint Leinster coach
Joe Schmidt as his second-in-command. Schmidt obviously has experience in
Australia, and after leading Leinster to their third Heineken Cup in four
seasons, is one of the best coaches in the game at the moment. Gatland would be
wise to move quickly before Leinster move to keep him in Ireland for the
summer.
There's a long way to go, but a team is probably already forming in Gatland's head. But a lot can change in eight months...
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