Munster need win over Lions or season will be a write-off already

Munster host South African side Emirates Lions on Saturday evening at Thomond Park requiring a victory to get their stuttering campaign back on an even keel.

It is over a month since Munster last fired a shot in anger, with their 41-24 defeat to the Sharks in Durban in October ending a poor run of four defeats in five games. 

The break was badly needed. Saturday will not be an easy assignment, however, as they face a Lions team flying high in fourth place in the URC table, despite only fulfilling five fixtures. 

To contrast this, Munster have played six league ties and lie in 12th place going into this weekend.

Munster A faced off against their Leinster counterparts last Friday in Terenure and were well beaten in a drab affair by 21-7, with many of the same issues that have dogged the first team being on show. 

The lineout malfunctioned, the scrum creaked, they struggled to go through the phases, and the discipline was not up to scratch. 

The one area that they can be satisfied with is that the defence only leaked three tries, as Leinster dominated territory and possession, with Tom Ahern’s try just before half-time being the highlight from a Munster perspective.

This is hardly a surprise, however, when you consider the coaching issues at the club in the past month. 

Graham Rowntree left the head coach role abruptly after the Sharks game, with there still being no adequate announcement or explanation as to why, while in the past week forwards coach Andi Kyriacou also departed, to be replaced by Alex Codling on an interim basis. 

UNCERTAINTY

With the current revolving door at Thomond Park it must be difficult for the players to gain any sense of continuity right now, although the announcements around extensions to the contracts of Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy may bring some calm.

Jean Kleyn, Sean O’Brien, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Jeremy Loughman and Oli Jager are all on the injured list for this weekend, although Jager is inching closer to fitness. 

Shane Daly, Liam Coombes and Thaakir Abrahams have all returned from their respective injuries, but their availability was still up in the air at the start of the week, although there was confirmation that centre Alex Nankivell was available and Alex Kendellen has been released from Ireland tackle bag duty.

The Lions might be considered the weakest of the South African franchises, but they earned their lofty league position by winning their opening four URC games in this campaign, including two wins on the road against the Dragons and Zebre. 

Their winning run ended, predictably, with a loss in Dublin to Leinster, but they cannot be viewed as a soft touch who Munster can get an easy five points against.

There may still be question marks around the coaching team, and there is still a lengthy injury list, but that cannot be an excuse on Saturday. Munster need points, and quickly. Otherwise their season might be a write-off, before we even reach December.