While Munster have a six-day turnaround between their clash with Benetton Treviso in Italy on Saturday last and Friday night’s pool one decider, opponents Northampton Saints will be facing into their second big Heineken Cup fixture in five days, after seeing off USAP Perpignan on Sunday.
Northampton’s Rugby Director, Jim Mallinder said they had written to the Heineken Cup organisers to outline their disappointment at ‘only having five days between our last two games, especially as Munster got six.’
The Saints had the backing of the Premier Rugby League in voicing their concern, Mallinder explained.
However, Munster coach Tony McGahan said if the two-time Heineken Cup champions found themselves with a five-day break between games they would simply get on with preparations.
McGahan said: “We would deal with it. That is the way it is. We have been hampered with a number of things which have been outside our control this season, through resting players and you just need to get on with it and deal with it. Realistically, by the time we arrived back from Italy on Saturday night most people would have been home at 11pm or 11.30pm.
“Northampton would have been finished their game at 4.30pm on Sunday, so if they left the stadium after the game, they would have been home at 5pm. That’s a 14-hour difference, not a big deal in my mind, anyway. It is what it is. We have to get on with it.”
McGahan said he believed the improvement in Munster’s form in recent times had been due to a better understanding of how they wished to play and an increase in their workrate and intensity.
He is expecting 2000 Heineken Cup winners Northampton to prove formidable opponents at Thomond Park on Friday night.
Munster would be guaranteed a home quarter-final in the Heineken Cup in April with a victory over the Saints on Friday night. A narrow defeat is unlikely to prevent Munster from making the knock-out stages, but it would deny the two-time winners a home quarter-final.
Coach McGahan explained: “We have a better understanding of the way we are trying to play. We worked a lot harder to get a lot more 50-50 decisions. That it is way it is. We have worked really hard on the breakdown area. You can eliminate a lot of penalties and a lot of grey areas when you are being dominant in that area.
“And that is through the perception of the referee and the opposition.
“If you are good in that area, it certainly adds to your game. But I just think that we are more familiar with the way we want to play and I think we have really upped the ante with regard to work rate and intensity in terms of what we are trying to do.
“Northampton are a form side. It tends to be always that way. The English club which comes over at this point in time is the number one side through form.
“They have had an excellent run over the last few years. I think their form this season has been excellent.”
Munster welcome back experienced prop Marcus Horan into their squad for the first time in 11 weeks.
Horan, who underwent a routine medical procedure for a minor heart ailment in October, made his competitive comeback in Shannon’s clash with Dolphin on Saturday.
Munster squad v Northampton: Wian Du Preez, Julien Brugnaut, Stephen Archer, John Hayes, Marcus Horan, Tony Buckley, Denis Fogarty, Damien Varley, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Donnacha Ryan, James Coughlan, Mick O’Driscoll, Billy Holland, Alan Quinlan, Niall Ronan, David Wallace, Tomas O’Leary, Peter Stringer, Ronan O’Gara, Jean De Villiers, Keith Earls, Tom Gleeson, Lifeimi Mafi, Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling, Denis Hurley, Paul Warwick.
Colm Kinsella
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