Munster need to get back to winning ways against Ulster tonight

The games are coming thick and fast for Munster, with their trip to Belfast on Friday to face Ulster the latest fixture for Clayton McMillan’s side to negotiate.

They go into this weekend lying in second place in the URC table but know that they could potentially be passed by fifth placed Ulster, as well as a number of other clubs, so there can be no let up from Munster before they turn their attention towards the Champions Cup next weekend.

Ulster’s form:

Richie Murphy’s side have been involved in tight arm wrestles in their last three league games, with them losing with literally the last kick of the game away to Cardiff, before suffering a similar result against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium when a late Dave McCann yellow card turned momentum in Leinster’s favour, and a 73rd minute Dan Sheehan try saw the homeside complete the comeback to win by 24-20.

They finally got a positive result last Saturday when beating Connacht 24-29 in Galway, after being held scoreless until the 34th minute. Former sevens star Zac Ward ran in two impressive tries on the left wing, while South African Werner Kok was a livewire on the other wing, with Jacob Stockdale running impressive lines from full back.

Ulster are playing a positive brand of rugby at the minute. They score a lot but also ship a lot too, which gives their opponents plenty of opportunities. With that in mind Clayton McMillan might be well advised to field the likes of Diarmuid Kilgallen here.

Set piece fortunes:

The Munster set pieces had contrasting fortunes last Saturday against Leinster at Thomond Park with the lineout showing clear improvements, while the scrum continues to be a concern.

The lineout had malfunctioned in the recent defeats to the Stormers and Bath, but it was clear that a lot of work had been done in this area in recent weeks, with the Munster pack able to secure possession out of touch with an air of confidence. Having Tom Ahern calling lineouts to himself is a huge advantage to have, as it is an out ball that Munster can go to when needed. Having other options such as Tadhg Beirne and Jack O’Donoghue also ensures that the opposition lineout are kept guessing.

The scrum continues to be Munster’s Achilles heel, however, with the front row, again, conceding a lot of penalties.

This time the Munster scrum may have felt hard done by given Andrew Porter’s propensity to burrow in at every engagement. Porter will not get away with that at international level, but an inexperienced official was unlikely to pin Ireland’s main loosehead.

In saying that, the Munster scrum has a reputation now, and not a positive one, meaning officials find it easy to blow against them. They must change this narrative.

Squad rotation:

One of the key features around the early months of Clayton McMillan’s Munster tenure has been his willingness to heavily rotate his squad from fixture to fixture and he is likely to keep using his squad during this busy period.

Brian Gleeson is back in contention for a place after recovering from the elbow fracture he sustained in the win over Leinster in Croke Park in October. The timing of his return could not be better, as Munster will require the young Tipperary man’s raw power in this extremely hectic time of year, with key Champions Cup ties against Toulon and Castres looming on the horizon.

Players who did not feature against Leinster will be looking to grab some gametime, such as Alex Kendellen, Ben O’Connor, Conor Bartley, Diarmuid Kilgallen and Ruadhan Quinn, while others who impressed in the recent Munster A draw with Leinster A, such as Tony Butler, Evan O’Connell and Sean Edogbo will be hoping for minutes too.

Kilgallen struggled in the air in the defeat to Bath but he has the size and speed that was lacking against Leinster. Munster could certainly use his finishing power in the coming weeks.

O’Connor impressed in the historic victory over Gloucester at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and will be eager to push on and get more minutes for the senior side, and the daunting trip to Belfast would certainly present a brilliant opportunity for the young Corkonian to impress.