Munster rugby talking points ahead of Connacht clash in Mayo
Munster fell short last weekend against Glasgow so have little room for error now. Picture: Ewan Bootman/Sportsfile
Munster make the novel trip to MacHale Park in Castlebar on Saturday to lock horns with provincial rivals Connacht, with Ian Costello’s side needing to reverse a poor recent away record against the westerners if they are to get their URC campaign back on an even keel.
In the last seven meetings between Connacht and Munster it has been the home side that has prevailed on each occasion, with Munster not collecting all the points on Connacht turf since winning 20-18 at the Sportsground in January 2021, when tries from Chris Cloete and Diarmuid Barron got Munster over the line with a late surge.
The Mayo venue holds over 25,000 people, as opposed to the 8,000 that can fit into the Sportsground in Galway, so the atmosphere should be rocking.
Connacht lost to the Ospreys last week in a thriller in Swansea by 43-40. Peter Wilkin’s charges fought back from 24 points down at one point, but just ran out of time in terms of completing the unlikely comeback.
The six tries they bagged will have filled them with plenty of confidence and they are likely to fancy their chances of opening up a Munster side that have been shipping too many scores of late.
In the last two seasons, Munster went on a fantastic run of form at this time of year, to secure their playoff place, but so far there has been no sign of such an upturn in this campaign.
The performance against Glasgow last weekend certainly saw an improvement but the lack of impact off the bench hurt Munster, as two late Warriors tries ensured a second defeat in a row for Ian Costello’s side.
These losses meant Munster now have no chance of finishing in the important top four slots and are in a dogfight to even finish in the top eight at present. Missing out on the URC play-offs and also potentially Champions Cup rugby next year would constitute a write-off of a season, so results are certainly needed, and quickly.
If Munster are going to have a late-season rally, then this is likely to coincide with the easing up of the crippling injury list that has ensured the handbrake has been on all season.
With Jeremy Loughman returning last week the squad suddenly is starting to look a lot healthier, as they target a big performance in Mayo and against La Rochelle in the Champions Cup next weekend.
In particular, the return of their first-choice props and World Cup winner Kleyn are encouraging, as they give Munster the chance to go toe to toe with big sides in the set piece battles, as Munster have struggled considerably in these departments this season.
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