Holders Munster still harbour strong ambitions of making it through to the Magners League semi-final play-offs, but coach McGahan said the side was fiercely determined to make up for their Heineken Cup semi-final defeat to Leinster last season.
Munster will appear in their ninth Heineken Cup semi-final when they lock horns with Biarritz at the Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian this Sunday 3.15pm. Munster have won four and lost four of their previous semi-final appearances.
Tony McGahan said: “We know that next weekend is what it is all about for us this year. We are really targetting the Heineken Cup.
“We want to get a result in the semi-final to go one step further than we did last year. We want to put ourselves in with the chance of collecting some silverware.
“We have shown that this year where we have had a disappointing resultm whether it has been the week before rounds one and two in the Heineken Cup or before the back-to-back fixtures at round three and four in the competition, that we have certainly come back.
“We have some guys to come back into the squad we will certainly re-group,” Tony McGahan said.
While team captain Paul O’Connell remains a major injury doubt ahead of Sunday’s game coach McGahan is confident that Doug Howlett, Keith Earls, Ian Dowling and Nick Williams will be fit for inclusion in the squad.
Munster centre Jean de Villiers said that while Munster’s big-game experience had played a big role in their previous successes in Europe, the recent Magners League victory over Connacht showed that the younger members of the squad were capable of stepping up to the mark when called upon.
De Villiers said: “The secret to Munster’s success in the past has been the experiences they have had in these stages of the competition.
“You need the experienced guys around to get those results.
“Definitely, a guy like Paul (O’Connell) brings massive experience. So does Dougie (Howlett) and all the other guys who were not involved in the recent games due to injury,” de Villiers said.
“The depth we have created within the squad - the guys who played last weekend against Connacht for instance - shows the next generation coming through can also do the job.
“And probably if you look at the last eight days, those guys stepped it up for us and they got a result for us against Connacht whereas the experienced guys lacked it a bit against the Ospreys. We will have to do a bit of soul searching as well and hopefully come next weekend. We can have a full squad available and have the strongest team.”
Exciting Welsh winger Shane Williams is just one member of his team who believe Munster will prevail in Sunday’s presssure-cooker atmosphere at the Estadio Anoeta.
Williams, who has faced each of Sunday’s semi-finalists in recent weeks, believes Munster can cause the French side major problems as they bid to reach the May final at the Stade de France.
“Munster will have watched our game closely and they will realise Biarritz are beatable,” the Ospreys’ Shane Williams said.
“Anything can happen in the Heineken Cup, but we showed that you can score tries against Biarritz.
“We all know what kind of team Munster are and they will have to take their chances.
“They can’t afford to give away penalties or concede possession to the likes of Yachvili.”
Biarritz have been dealt a huge blow ahead of Sunday’s semi-final with the news that Damien Traille’s season is over. The French international centre hurt his forearm in Saturday’s 26-19 loss to Clermont in the Top 14 and will need four to six weeks to recover.
Biarritz could well welcome back international back-row forward Imanol Harinordoquy, who broke his nose against Racing-Metro last week for the game.
The big number eight underwent surgery last week, but could play on Sunday with a protective shield on his face.
Meanwhile Keith Earls has been short-listed for the annual Bord Gáis Energy IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year award.
The Munster man is nominated along with Tommy Bowe and Jamie Heaslip for the award which will be announced at a banquet on on Wednesday, May 12 at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel.
Earls is also nominated for the IRUPA Nature Valley Young Player of the Year Award along with fellow Munster man Scott Deasy and Connacht’s Fionn Carr.
Colm Kinsella
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