Munster talking points ahead of reunion with Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle
Munster players Jack Crowley and Craig Casey after their side's victory over Connacht at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
This Saturday Munster travel to the Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle for a unique Champions Cup last-16 clash that sees Munster fans hoping that their current fly half does a number on their former one.
Given all the talk about new contracts, the Leicester Tigers and Sam Prendergast it took a lot of bottle for Jack Crowley to rock up to MacHale Park in Castlebar last weekend to give an exhibition in inspiring Munster to victory over Connacht in their URC clash.
La Rochelle are of course coached by former Munster great Ronan O’Gara. In January, the former Munster number 10 did Crowley no favours in the debate around who should start for Ireland by offering the opinion that “Jack has been like a yo-yo for Munster and when you’re a yo-yo for Munster you don’t get in the Irish team”.
Munster fans will be hoping that their current playmaker will make their former out-half regret those words on Saturday.
La Rochelle last won a competitive game of rugby on January 4 when they beat Toulouse at home in a Top 14 fixture by 22-19.
Since then they have played eight matches and failed to register a single victory. Three of those games were on home soil where they rarely lose, but they were defeated by both Leinster and Racing 92, while they drew 12-12 with Castres a fortnight ago.
La Rochelle currently lie 10th in the Top 14 and they will need to get a move on if they are to move into the play-off berths. Indeed, at this moment in time, given the 2025 form, relegation is not completely off the table.
Munster may only be on a one-game winning sequence, but getting the Irish Six Nations players back, as well as a few of the walking wounded, means that the squad is now stronger than it has been at any stage this season.
This is particularly felt in the front five, as the availability of Jean Kleyn, Oli Jager and Jeremy Loughman gives Ian Costello both heft and options to call upon up front, and quite simply, no one wins at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre without being decent at scrum time and having an effective lineout and maul, so all have made extremely timely returns.
While these players boost the starting 15 considerably, they also allow provide Munster with real depth and impact off the bench, as more than once this season Munster’s challenge has wilted when the bench has been emptied.
This should not be the case this weekend.
La Rochelle go into this one as favourites on home soil, but given their poor current form and Munster’s pedigree in this competition, it might well be set for one of those famous Munster away days on French soil.
App?
