Munster will need a fast start to pull off a miracle win in South Africa
Munster need Jack Crowley at his best to get a result in South Africa. Picture: INPHO/Bryan Keane
Munster travel to Pretoria on Saturday for the URC quarter-final against the Bulls hoping that they can perform as well as their last trip to Loftus Versfeld, as if they do, they have one hell of a chance of coming out on top.
On 28 March, they lost 34-31 to the Bulls, but only after giving their hosts a huge fright. Munster outscored the Bulls by five tries to four, with Handre Pollard’s boot getting the South African side out of jail, as he kicked fourteen points to Jack Crowley’s six.
In 2026, the Bulls have played seven fixtures at home, winning six of them, with a 19-32 defeat in March to the Stormers being their only setback. That game was the only occasion that their attack did not fire, as the aforementioned match against Munster was their next lowest scoring total on home turf, with them scoring 40 points or more in the other five home ties.
To have any hope of emerging victorious, Munster will have to keep the concession rate down, as in reality, if they exceed the 34-point mark they managed in March, then it is difficult to see Clayton McMillan’s side winning.
The Munster injury list means that victory is unlikely. They are short major resources in the front five with key props Michael Milne and Oli Jager being out, while the team’s three first-choice second rows Tadhg Beirne, Jean Kleyn and Edwin Edogbo are also marked absent.
That is a lot of ballast to be missing, and South Africa is not a place you want to travel to lacking a bit of heft.
Tom Farrell and Calvin Nash would have started if available, as Munster’s squad depth is stretched to breaking point, but it is the injury to outhalf Jack Crowley that is ensuring that Munster fans are not holding out too much hope this weekend.
Crowley is suffering from a worrying leg injury that Clayton McMillan described as 'a little bit obscure' and the issue is lingering for a tad too long.
In fairness, JJ Hanrahan answered a lot of his critics with an impressive display when deputising for Crowley in the crucial last fixture of the season, when Munster beat the Lions by 24-17 at Thomond Park to ensure that not only did they qualify for the playoffs but they also secured a place in the Champions Cup for next season.
The Kerry native has struggled at times when charged with leading the team this season in the 10 jersey but he looked the part the last day. Munster will be requiring a repeat performance if Munster are to have any chance.
At the time of writing the bookies have the handicap at 13 points. To have any hope of upsetting these odds, Munster must come out of the traps quickly and get early points on the board to make the Bulls doubt themselves. This is not a game Munster want to be chasing.
On 20 April 2024, Munster scalped the Bulls on their home patch by 22-27 thanks to tries from RG Snyman, Conor Murray and Shane Daly. Munster have always shown up well in Pretoria. There was the 34-31 defeat in March, that 2024 victory, and a narrow 29-24 defeat in 2022.
They will be hoping for another famous win on South African soil. If they could manage another on Saturday with so many key players absent then it would arguably be their most impressive win in South Africa to date.
Perhaps Munster’s best chance on Saturday might lie in how motivated their hosts are, as they might not be overly keen on having to make the likely long and costly trip to Glasgow for the semi-final.
If so, Munster need to be ready to do their part by saving them the journey.
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