An ideal opportunity to salvage Munster’s season

MUNSTER out-half Ronan O’Gara believes the Magners League provides the province with the ideal opportunity to salvage something from the season following their bitterly disappointing Heineken Cup semi-final defeat at the hands of Biarritz.
Munster face old rivals Leinster in a glamour Magners League semi-final play-off at the RDS on Saturday (8pm).
Munster will be hoping to end their three-game losing run against Michael Cheika’s men, including a crushing 30-0 defeat at the RDS last October.
Ronan O’Gara, who captained Munster against the Cardiff Blues on Sunday in the continuing absence of the injured Paul O’Connell, turned in a Man of the Match display. O’Gara kicked all 12 of Munster’s points in their one-point defeat to the Blues. However, the losing bonus point Munster secured ensured their passage into the inaugural play-offs.
O’Gara said: “It will be a big match next weekend. From our point of view it was the European Cup, but you have to try and salvage something from the season. We are looking at the Magners League.
“That is the great thing about sport. You are down, but you get back up. Now we have an opportunity again. It is strange. We are obviously disappointed that we lost (to Cardiff), but I suppose the big target was to make it through to the semi-finals.”
Munster have a number of injury worries ahead of Saturday’s clash. However the Munster management team is hopeful that Doug Howlett, Ian Dowling and Mick O’Driscoll will be available for the crucial trip to Dublin. Keith Earls remains a doubt for the game with a groin injury while captain Paul O’Connell is not expected to feature in the tie.
Key front-row forwards John Hayes and Jerry Flannery are set to return to the squad for the clash.
Meanwhile the Munster A squad is gearing up for Sunday’s British and Irish Cup final showdown with the Cornish Pirates at the Camborne Recreation Ground. Kick-off for the final is at 6pm and the game will be televised live on Sky Sports.
Munster remain the only unbeaten side in the inaugural British & Irish Cup having won all six of their encounters in the competition so far.
That run of form has been based on a formidable defensive effort which has seen the Munster men yield just three tries in 480 minutes playing time.
Sunday’s opponents, the Cornish Pirates, finished in sixth place in the RFU Championship table this season, but could not progress through their play-off pool to reach the semi-final stage.
The Pirates’ only victory in their last four matches in all competitions was the semi-final triumph in the British & Irish Cup at home to Doncaster Knights.

Colm Kinsella