Back-to-back bonus points wins over USAP Perpignan in the Heineken Cup and Connacht in the Magners League will see Munster travel to Belfast for their round ten league tie in confident mood despite their disappointing run of results away to rivals Ulster in recent seasons.
Munster welcome back the vastly experienced trio of Alan Quinlan, Doug Howlett and Lifeimi Mafi into their squad for the second inter-provincial fixture of the festive period.
Munster’s starting line-up will not include seven Irish internationals who are on the second of two weeks of ‘active rest’. The absent internationals include John Hayes, Paul O’Connell, David Wallace, Tomas O’Leary, Ronan O’Gara, who played for 40 minutes against Connacht on St. Stephen’s Day, and Keith Earls.
Team manager Payne said the team was developing valuable momentum as the season reached a critical phase: “I think we are very well placed where we are at the minute without showing any outstanding form apart from the obviously the last two games.
“I’d say we’re satisfied. In fact we’re very satisfied with where we are at the minute.
“I think we are progressing nicely as opposed to last season where we started off with a bang and were five out of five in the Magners League and flying, but obviously came up short at the end of the season, rather disappointingly. This season we just seem to be building nicely, we’re getting a nice bit of momentum going, we’re developing a decent vein of form and I think, importantly, as we saw at the weekend everyone has a bit of form at the weekend.
“The only downside at this stage of the season are the couple of injuries that we have picked up,” Shaun Payne admitted.
Payne said Munster’s double loss to Ulster in last season’s Magners League would continue to be a motivating factor ahead of Saturday’s game.
Munster did avenge their home defeat to Ulster at the start of last year with a bonus point victory over their opponents at Thomond Park at the end of October.
Payne said: “Obviously the double loss against Ulster last year isn’t forgotten in a hurry. Those hurt a lot.
“We’re playing with a good deal of confidence at the minute.
“If you look at the side we put out last week it was still a particularly strong team and I think they performed really well.
“I think Felix Jones coming off was probably the lowest point of the weekend.
“That’s probably a game that would have really suited Felix with a bit of space, there was a lot of running and some nice tries scored, so it was particularly unfortunate that Felix came off.
“Ulster are an excellent side. They can attack you from anywhere on the pitch, they have exciting young players, some guys really coming through.
“Obviously they have players like (Stephen) Ferris, but I think (Ian) Humphries as well is someone who is really doing well. Obviously they have (Darren) Cave in the centre and a couple of really backline players and an excellent back-row.
“We lost to them twice last season so I don’t need to be talking them up at all and we know that the job that faces us especially up there in Ravenhill. We haven’t had a whole heap of success up there and this is always a massive game for us.”
Munster: Scott Deasy, Denis Hurley, Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling, Tom Gleeson, Lifeimi Mafi, Jean de Villiers, Paul Warwick, Duncan Williams, Peter Stringer, Wian du Preez, Stephen Archer, Julien Brugnaut, Tony Buckley, Damien Varley, Denis Fogarty, Mike Sherry, Mick O’Driscoll, Donnacha Ryan, Alan Quinlan, Billy Holland, Niall Ronan, Tommy O’Donnell, Nick Williams.
COLM KINSELLA
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