“Munster is home-grown players who have been born, grown up on the field together, lived in the one area all of their lives and certainly have built friendships and relationships not only between themselves, but also with the community.
“That’s against a side (Toulon) who have been bankrolled to be put together. There are many different ways of bringing success and they have certainly started that journey over the last two or three years.”
Munster coach Tony McGahan provides an interesting insight into the clash of two rugby cultures which will be played out before a sell-out crowd at Thomond Park - Munster face the big-spending Toulon in a crunch pool three clash on Saturday (kick-off 3.30pm).
A second successive Munster defeat on the back of last weekend’s reverse at the hands of London Irish would all but end the province’s hopes of advancing to the knock-out stages of the competition for a 13th straight season.
Coach Tony McGahan appreciates the size of the challenge facing his charges against the Top 14 leaders in France whose annual wage bill is estimated to be close to €7 million. Toulon’s star-studded squad includes the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, George Smith, Joe Van Niekerk, Pierre Mignoni, Carl Hayman and Felipe Contepomi.
Much interest will centre around the make-up of Toulon’s match day squad as they are only entitled to include just two non-European qualified players in it.
“You look at what they (Toulon) achieved last year with their results in the Top 14 and also in the Challenge Cup and this year they have set the bar higher with the calibre of player they have brought in,” coach Tony McGahan pointed out.
“They are very different ways of approaching professional rugby, but it is a great challenge.
“That collective will and the environment the (Munster) players have been part of and excelled in - put their own self inside to make sure it grows - those sort of things give you the edge in big games. We’re looking for that to play a part on Saturday evening.”
Some aspects of McGahan’s team selection, including the omission of Alan Quinlan from the match day squad and the decision to name David Wallace and Paul Warwick on the replacements bench for last weekend’s clash with London Irish did raise some eyebrows.
However, Tony McGahan insists his team is picked on form.
“We lost the game and that’s where it is.
“Winning on the road in a tough group in the Heineken Cup is very difficult,” Tony McGahan pointed out.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, just to turn up and get a result doesn’t happen.
“We certainly realise there are areas we need to take forward this week and we won’t get a return on a result if we don’t. The squad is picked on each game and on its merits.
“That’s one of the things we’ve really tried to do in the last couple of years - whoever is putting in the performance is going to get the game. . .”
“For us this week we’re back at home. We obviously enjoy playing here, so it means a lot to us to play back here in front of our fans. We really look at what we can control to get the result.
“Whatever team they (Toulon) put out, they really have a strong way of playing and the fulcrum of that is (Jonny) Wilkinson. Whether he plays or does not play, definitely there will be a point of difference if he doesn’t play.”
Munster have included the fit-again Jerry Flannery in their extended squad for Saturday’s game. Hooker Flannery has been sidelined through injury since lining out against the Barbarians at Thomond Park last May.
He made his competitive comeback on Friday night last when playing for 40 minutes in Shannon’s All-Ireland League victory over city rivals Garryowen.
Niall Ronan, who was forced off after half an hour during the defeat to London Irish having received a cut to his head, is also included in the squad for Saturday’s sell-out clash.
But Munster were facing an anxious wait this Wednesday as centre Sam Tuitupou appeared before an ERC-convened disciplinary committee hearing in Dublin. Tuitupou was cited after committing an alleged dangerous tackle on London Irish scrum-half Paul Hodgson during the first-half of the game in the Madejski Stadium. Munster are already without another key centre, the suspended Lifeimi Mafi for the clash.
Munster squad: Wian Du Preez, Marcus Horan, Mike Sherry, Jerry Flannery, Damien Varley, John Hayes, Darragh Hurley, Tony Buckley, Billy Holland, Donnacha Ryan, Donncha O’Callaghan, Mick O’Driscoll, Alan Quinlan, David Wallace, Niall Ronan, Denis Leamy, Peter O’Mahony, James Coughlan, Duncan Williams, Peter Stringer, Ronan O’Gara, Scott Deasy, Paul Warwick, Danny Barnes, Keith Earls, Johne Murphy, Sam Tuitupou, Doug Howlett, Denis Hurley.
Colm Kinsella
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