PRESSURE’S

Van Graan: We know what we have to do tomorrow & as professionals we’re used to coping with tricky situations

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Thomond Park, tomorrow 1pm MUNSTER boss Johann van Graan has warned his players to not get distracted by results elsewhere tomorrow.

The Reds need a series of results to go their way to save their slender Champions Cup hopes but the South African’s sole focus is on taking care of Ospreys at Thomond Park.

“It’s very simple, we need to go out and perform and get a bonus-point win to give ourselves any chance,” said van Graan.

“We just need to do what we can and then if the chips fall our way, great, and if it doesn’t then we had opportunities early in the competition.

“A big moment against Racing at home in round two, a big moment against Saracens away, a penalty opportunity that we didn’t use to take a point. Last weekend, after 71 minutes we were still ahead, so we left one or two points out there during the course of the five games.”

It’s a long shot that all the results will fall Munster’s way this weekend but van Graan knows it’s vital they keep calm and do their jobs.

“It’s very important. It’s composure and with professional sport comes pressure. You’ve got pressure every day and that’s what we do and, as a group, it’s important to trust each other and we’ve got that in this team.

“Unfortunately, you know the margins in sport are pretty small and one or two things we could have controlled better over the past few weeks, and one or two moments like Teddy Thomas’s try last weekend didn’t go our way. That ball bounces any other way and who knows? But I’ve never made an excuse. We back our process and we back our system and it’s important that we keep doing that.

“Both our away losses in this competition this year have been against two semi-finalists of the previous two years. We’d like to believe, like you saw over the weekend, that we started very well against Racing. With those game-breakers, you can’t give them a lead and going 9-0 up after 18 minutes we felt we did very well over the weekend.

“From a Saracens point of view, pretty similar thing. At half-time in the semi last year the score was 12-9 and they kind of took that away from us in the second half and that was a big focus point for us, that second half. Remember we were 9-3 up, we missed a kick at goal and the two Vunipola brothers scored two tries.

“So yes, there improvement. Unfortunately we came up against two of the very best teams in Europe in our pool so we have to improve, we’ve got to learn our lessons and that’s got to show in the results as well.”

Van Graan has made just two changes to his starting 15 for this clash. Keith

Earls misses out with a minor knee injury and is replaced on the left wing by Champions Cup debutant Calvin Nash.

There is just one further alteration, as Jean Kleyn hasn’t recovered from the neck injury he picked up in the 39-22 loss to Racing 92. Fineen Wycherley takes his place in the second row. is

MUNSTER

OSPREYS