O’Gara bangs battle drum before going to ‘war’ against his old Red Army

RONAN O’Gara led Munster to two European crowns and Thomond Park will always be his home - but today for 80 minutes it will be “war” and only a win for Racing 92 will count.

Last year’s beaten finalists begin their campaign against the old Irish powerhouse where O’Gara, now backs coach at Racing, spent 16 years of his career.

“Munster is my club and I love the place,” O’Gara said. “But it’s over now and as a coach, if you want to succeed, you have to go past your emotions. I’ll speak to them after the game but for 80 minutes it’ll be a war.”

Impressing all the way to the final before losing to Saracens, the Top 14 champions are looking for the best possible start before a trip to Leicester next week.

Captain Maxime Machenaud said: “We’ve got to start the competition well and it begins with a tough encounter against Munster where we can’t afford to get it wrong. But I think we’re ready to live with this pressure and move forward. There is no time to waste in the Champions Cup and hopefully we can enjoy some good moments like last season.”

Dan Carter is sidelined for a third consecutive week with a calf niggle so Johannes Goosen starts in

the No.10 jersey. The other change in the back line sees former Munster centre Casey Laulala replaced by Henry Chancy, while Camille Chat and Ben Tameifuna start at hooker and tighthead.

Munster’s Red Army must dust themselves off after losing to Leinster in last week’s PRO12 derby clash and they travel to Paris without Keith Earls, who suffered a concussion last Saturday. Dave Kilcoyne has completed the return to play protocol however and starts at loosehead.

Earls is replaced by South African international Jaco Taute in midfield while Kiwi Tyler Bleyendaal and right wing Darren Sweetnam are set for their European debuts.

Munster are not the force they once were and they failed to reach the quarter-finals last season, losing three of their six pool matches. One of those was to a 14-men Stade Francais side in Paris, but boss Rassie Erasmus is not one to dwell on the past.

“We try not to look back,” he said. “This is a new season with new players and some new coaching staff and new opposition. It’s a new battle.

“Luckily it’s an away game so nobody expects us to do well. I am not sure if that’s a good or bad thing but maybe there’s a little bit of pressure off us.”