Munster v Northampton: Reds must push on after finally clicking
Munster's Calvin Nash celebrates scoring a try with Peter O'Mahony last week. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
LAST Saturday Munster showed just how quickly you can turn your season around with one huge result, but conversely, Munster will be aware that a defeat on Saturday night against the Northampton Saints in front of their own fans would instantly deflate the confidence gained from that brilliant Champions Cup triumph in Toulon.
Munster’s cause would be greatly helped if Northampton did not bring their to Limerick for the final game of Pool 3, but Graham Rowntree and his players will be assuming that they will need a performance akin to last week’s display in the south of France to come out on top here.
Munster and the Saints are old rivals in this competition, with Munster having the upper hand in the head-to-head, being 6-2 ahead, including a home and away double last year, but the memory of the lost 2000 final in Twickenham will always linger.
We will not know Northampton’s level of motivation until after kick-off on Saturday. They are already safely qualified, and guaranteed the second seed spot, at worst, but a win would nail down the top seed berth.
They could turn their focus to their English Premiership meeting with Newcastle next weekend, but given that they are the top side in the English league right now, while Newcastle are rock bottom, with eleven defeats in eleven games, you would imagine that they are free to have a right cut off taking the Thomond Park scalp that they have been so close to nabbing in previous campaigns.
Second-place Exeter do not play Bayonne until Sunday, so they do not really want to give their domestic rivals a shot at winning the pool, and a win would take care of top spot for the Saints and the high-seeded placement that this would give them for the knockout stages.
As for Munster, all the results went their way last weekend, meaning they are almost through, but they can take nothing for granted, and they will also be aware that a five-pointer in Round 4 will give them a squeak of a chance of nicking the second seed spot, and the home last-16 tie that comes with it, from the Exeter Chiefs.
Munster proved last weekend that they can beat anyone on the road, and indeed, it was a feature of their URC title win last year, but they will not fancy having to win away from home in every round of this competition, as the more games you play away in this tournament the less chance you have of lifting the trophy.
In a way last Saturday’s 18-29 win over Toulon was the most Munster win of all time.
The brilliant performance coincided with the return from injury of the likes of Peter O’Mahony, Niall Scannell and Joey Carbery, with Scannell’s performance, in particular, being eye-catching, as he gave a performance so good on his return that Rowntree joked afterwards that “we’ve got a new plan with Niall now – one game on, five months off."
Munster have always been confident that if they can get close to their best side on the pitch they are a match for anyone.
It just seemed in the past six weeks or so that they were never going to get a strong side out again, such was the extent of the injury list.
As well as the returning players there were huge performances all over the pitch, with Calvin Nash, John Hodnett and Tom Ahern really standing out, and it would be a surprise if all three were not called up to Andy Farrell’s Six Nations squad now.
Gavin Coombes, Craig Casey, John Ryan and Simon Zebo all had arguably their finest games of the season to date, while Alex Nankivell is fast becoming a cult hero at the club.
A similar performance from this bunch of players in front of a sell-out Thomond Park crowd and you would back Munster against anyone, even a high-flying and extremely dangerous Northampton side.
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