MUNSTER FIRED UP
Munster light on scrum-halves as...
WHILE Leo Cullen spent the last week trying to work out how many of his international stars he needed to cut for last night’s Heineken Champions Cup opener against Wasps, Johann van Graan has been losing sleep with the opposite problem.
While the Munster injury list may not be the most lengthy, the problems at scrum-half run deep and have made today’s trip to face Exeter quite the challenge for last season’s beaten semi-finalists.
Conor Murray’s return date remains a mystery, and with new signing Alby Matthewson ruled out with a knee problem, Van Graan has had to place his trust in Duncan Williams.
While Williams has plenty of experience, his exposure in this competition has been limited — last season, he played just 18 minutes of European cup rugby.
The build up to this game has been far from ideal, but Van Graan is confident that his squad are in a better position than they were 12 months ago, when the outgoing Rassie Erasmus was still calling the shots.
‘I would certainly like to think we have grown, you know with any new coach coming in certain things take time, you see certain things you want to improve and want to evolve but other things are also involved and I believe we have got a very good squad at this stage, I believe we have got depth,’ said Van Graan.
‘I would love to think that our skill level has improved dramatically and unfortunately we’ve had one or two key injuries but that’s not an excuse. We have gained wonderful players in acquisitions but that’s the beauty of rugby.
‘If you want a result out of (Exeter) or even a point out of there, you have to be at your best and that is what we will have to be over the weekend.’
On paper, Pool 2 looks a formidable challenge, but the reality may not be quite so bleak for Munster.
Top14 champions Castres possess plenty of threat, but have traditionally rolled their eyes when it comes to the rough and tumble of European rugby. In 14 attempts, the French side have only made it out of their pool once. The two teams were also paired together last season, with Munster taking a draw in France on the opening weekend before a comprehensive 48-3 win in Limerick in January.
Munster’s first home game will see Gloucester visit Limerick next weekend. As the lowest-placed side to make the cut for the competition after limping home in seventh place in the Premiership last season, expectations are not high.
That said, they have players who can cause any team problems, not least the divisive Danny Cipriani, who remains outcast from Eddie Jones’ England squad despite being voted September’s Premiership Player of the Month.
If Munster can take as much as a losing bonus point at Exeter and beat Gloucester at home next week, there will plenty of confidence in the province heading into Castres games, particularly if Van Graan has Murray back in tow.
If there is a concern, it is that the province’s away form has been disastrous in the early stages of the season, suffering heavy Pro14 defeats on the road in Glasgow and Cardiff before an improved performance in the defeat to Leinster at Lansdowne Road.
As Van Graan was quick to point out, not many teams go to Sandy Park and come out with a win, and this is an Exeter side that know how to trouble Irish teams.
Last season, only Racing made life more difficult for Leinster over the course of their European campaign. While Cullen’s Blues swatted aside heavyweights Saracens and an in-form Scarlets in the knock-stages, they found themselves under the cosh when the Chiefs came to Lansdowne Road last December.
‘What we’ve talked about recently is that when you get those one or two scenarios that go against you, we now have to push ourselves on to that next level knowing we can drive our way through it,’ said Exeter rugby director Rob Baxter.
‘If you look at Leinster last year, especially in that second game, we had them under pressure, they were behind on the scoreboard, they had yellow cards, yet they still found a way to win the game. That is what we have to add.’
They are arriving to this game in a good run of form, winning all six of their opening Premiership games and ahead of Saracens on the top of the table thanks to their superior scoring difference, with only 11 tries conceded so far.
However, Europe has generally failed to bring out the best from Exeter. Despite making the last three Premierships finals, they have only made it out of their pool in Europe once in five attempts.
Even without someone as central to the Munster gameplan as Murray, the province won’t for one second shirk this challenge. The twotime European Cup winners haven’t lost on the opening weekend since 2013.
Don’t bet against them keeping that impressive record intact. They have sprung far bigger surprises in the past.