Munster must get a big result in Toulon to keep Champions Cup hopes alive
Munster’s Calvin Nash is tackled by Ulster's James Hume. Picture: INPHO/Tom O’Hanlon
Munster travel to the south of France to face-off against French giants Toulon in a crucial Round 3 Champions Cup clash at the Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday lunch time with them requiring at least a bonus point to keep them in the hunt for a play-off spot.
All six teams in Pool 2 head into this weekend with everything to play for, given that a single point separates them all.
Bath, who beat Munster in Round 1, lead the way on six points, while the other five sides Castres, Munster, Toulon, Gloucester and Edinburgh are all on five, as each team won one and lost one in the opening two rounds. Something has to give over the next two weekends, however, with only four of the six reaching the knockout stages in April.
Munster registered a famous victory at this venue almost exactly two years ago, when they came from 10-0 down early on to shock their hosts with a scintillating display and departed France with an 18-29 bonus point win.
Tries from Alex Nankivell, Simon Zebo, Tom Ahern and a special from Calvin Nash got the job done 24 months ago. Clayton McMillan would undoubtedly grab your arm off for a similar result this time around.
There are likely to be a huge number of changes from Munster’s last competitive game, which was a complete no-show last Friday night up in Belfast in the URC clash against Ulster. The hosts easily won the interprovincial clash by 28-3 with Munster failing to land a single blow in an extremely lacklustre display.
Regardless of the number of alterations, this week is unlikely to have been a comfortable one for the Munster players at the HPC in Limerick with a lot of home truths being dished out.
Munster fans making the trip to the Mediterranean coast will be hoping this is the case this weekend.
John Hodnett and Alex Kendellen were both injured in the defeat to Ulster and miss out here. This makes McMillan’s selection choices at openside fairly simple, as he is likely to hand the seven shirt to the experienced Jack O’Donoghue with the emerging Ruadhán Quinn backing him up from the pine.
Brian Gleeson actually came off the bench in the win over Toulon two years ago, in one of his first appearances for the club.
He is expected to be part of the supporting cast again, with McMillan likely to go with a 6-2 split designed to keep Munster in the hunt when Toulon begin to roll on their giant replacements for the last half hour.
Toulon have won all of their eight matches at the iconic Felix Mayol this season, with them scoring heavily on their home turf.
Bar a 16-12 scrap over Castres in the opening home fixture of the campaign they have entertained, registering totals of 33, 45, 54, 39, 54, 45 and 31 in their next seven triumphs.
This home form is intimidating, but Munster have spent over a quarter of a century turning such form on its head.
At first viewing that might seem encouraging, until you step back and realise that they completely sacrificed this fixture to fully focus their energies on the Munster game, as they sent a second-strong side to western France.
Bath dismantled Munster in the opening quarter of Round 1, with their defence looking extremely comfortable against the Munster attack that day, yet they struggled to contain Toulon the following week, shipping five tries in a 45-34 defeat.
That alone should tell us the extent of the task awaiting Munster.
The victory from two years ago tells us that a Munster win is certainly possible, but you would imagine that a losing bonus point, or two, might not be the worst outcome either.
As long as Munster have their own faith in their own hands next weekend against Castres then they will take that outcome.
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