REDS TRY TO STAY FOCUSED
ANOTHER European week, another Munster build-up deluged by outside noise. Last month, it was contract negotiations of Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander providing off-field distraction for back-to-back meetings with Leicester.
This week the sidebars were more diverse. The return to fitness of Gerbrandt Grobler, the South African signed last summer after completing a two-year ban for anabolic steroid use.
Rassie Erasmus’ failed attempt to prise assistant Felix Jones to South Africa. The erroneous link of Argentinian Santiago Cordero as a possible signing.
Then there was the bizarrely timed Simon Zebo interview on the Racing 92 website — 78 days after he first revealed he was France-bound next summer, the full-back somehow thought last Tuesday, five days before Munster were due at U Arena, was perfect to announce it is the Parisian club he will join.
The distractions were more than enough to keep the fans chattering. However, the reality is there was only one diversion relevant to what might happen tomorrow, the presence of Donnacha Ryan in opposition ranks.
Here’s a grafter who was on the Munster books for an eternity, who won a European Cup medal in 2008. But because of IRFU contract wrangling, he wears blue and white in round five, aiming to unlock the visiting lineout and be a nuisance everywhere else.
Skipper Peter O’Mahony called it spot on. ‘He’s the kind of guy you want in your team on big occasions. Physical, hard, very bright, diligent who does a lot of homework. Everything you want on a second row.’
Munster don’t have a history of ex-players haunting them. However, in the current climate where money talks, tomorrow’s situation of great-friend-turned-dangerous-foe won’t be a one-off.
Still, knowing a win will finish the qualification race with a game to spare, O’Mahony’s side travel with confidence restored following a Bah Humbug festive break. Their first-teamers were awful for the first St Stephen’s Day half-hour at home to Leinster, their second string a second-half no show in Belfast on New Year’s Day.
Try bonus point concessions and a collection of cards was the link between both under-performances, weakness not helped by a combined 85 per cent tackle completion rate. The first-teamers clocked back on last Saturday to dismiss Connacht. Just one try conceded, no cards and a tackle rate bumped up to 87.5 per cent.
But they know a good performance alone tomorrow won’t automatically guarantee victory against an opposition who were European finalists in 2016 and whose new fast-track, artificial, indoor pitch could be decisive.
Munster head Johann van Graan says they need to hit in-form Racing 92 early. ‘Our mindset is the same as every single game. We start at zero, we respect the opposition. We look at our strengths and how we can impose them on the opposition,’ said Van Graan.
‘We’re definitely going to have to absorb pressure from these guys, they are quality. And once we get into their half we’ve got to apply pressure, hopefully put them under pressure.
‘They’re also playing for their life so they’ll fight for the 80 or 83 minutes, whatever this game goes to. Probably the most difficult thing is how do you stop their offloads? They’ve got a lot of height. Do you compress? Because if you compress and they get it away, they’ve got speed on the outside. Do you keep your width? Then they will punish you on the inside.
‘It’s great to be involved in games like this, everybody involved sees it as a great challenge. To get a result against Racing away from home will be a big result for us.’