European Cup: To dwell on the peripheral issues is a distraction that neither can afford yet both teams will be mindful of the baggage that accompanies their seventh meeting in the Heineken European Cup tonight.
It's not something the respective camps would concede publicly but very few of the players on either side will require a history lesson.
Next week at Thomond Park Castres and Munster will break the record for most head-to-head contests in the tournament that they currently share with the Toulouse-Edinburgh rivalry. At that stage one of tonight's protagonists at the Stade Pierre Antoine will have eked out a psychological advantage gleaned from victory on this their latest meeting.
Winning at home is a fundamental tenet of making the playoffs but it's how a team fares on the road that ultimately proves pivotal. Munster are given first whack of striking against the head. They approach the fixture on the back of nine straight victories in all competitions, an irresistible momentum considering the difficulty of this assignment.
Munster coach Alan Gaffney is justifiably proud of the efforts of his squad who have cultivated a winning culture, largely in the absence of the international squad members. The return of the latter group has guaranteed vexed selection issues, albeit facilitated slightly by injuries to Denis Leamy and John Kelly.
Leamy's absence reduced the back row conundrum to a four-way contest with Alan Quinlan nominated to start on the bench. Injury has curtailed his opportunities and as captain Anthony Foley observed: "no one wants a rest (in this squad) because it might end up being a long rest you're getting." That is particularly apposite when set against the depth of quality in the back row.
Shaun Payne's quiet excellence in a variety of positions has made him indispensable to the team. Gaffney has named him at outside centre ahead of Mike Mullins with Mossie Lawler on the right wing, a position that would have been filled by Kelly. Anthony Horgan's recovery from injury is a significant fillip as he provides a cutting edge.
The Munster coach conceded he was a little perplexed by the Castres selection. Yannick Delaigue, a summer capture from Toulouse is injured and Xavier Sadourny takes his place. Delaigue is the team's frontline kicker and in his absence it was anticipated Castres would turn to Richard Dourthe.
The former French international kicked six penalties from seven attempts in the 23-23 draw against Harlequins and in the recent 21-20 victory over Toulouse kicked a further six. Tonight, though, he starts on the bench with Laurent Marticorena selected to partner the former London Wasp Mark Denney in midfield.
There was also the expectation that Romain Froment would make the starting XV but the French international is also among the replacements. Even with the benefit of video analysis, a couple of the Castres players will be somewhat unknown quantities.
The home side are performing capably in the French championship, boasting one of the best packs in the country. Former Ireland and Ulster prop Justin Fitzpatrick is part of a cosmopolitan international front row that includes Argentine Mario Ledesma and Alessio Galasso who has been capped by France.
Lionel Nallet has played for Les Tricolors while Rodrigo Capo Otega represents Uruguay at international level. Paul Volley was capped by Clive Woodward and was a European Cup winner with Wasps last season.
Munster's fate will be decided by the ebb and flow of the trench warfare of forward play.
Experience will be a key factor in dealing with a hostile crowd that will be shoehorned into the 9,500 capacity stadium. Foley, a veteran of tonight's venue, admitted: "We are solely focused on the 80 minutes of rugby. It is a pretty intimidating place but we have a very experienced squad who have been through this situation before.
"This is something every player looks forward to because you get a great buzz; once you get used to it."
Munster's travails in Europe over the past six years have allowed them to develop a tough outer layer. Playing in Stade Pierre Antoine won't faze them and that is a decent starting point.
In Ronan O'Gara and Peter Stringer they boast a halfback partnership that is proving a consistent match winner: in Christian Cullen they possess an All Black legend who still runs some exquisite lines and is a consummate poacher.
It's trite, it's facile but if the Irish province are to win in Castres tonight then the fundamentals like set-piece play have to be largely flawless. The pack will have to match the intensity of the home side and they will have to take the opportunities that present themselves. It'll be about controlling the football, being precise and ruthless in possession and being disciplined in defence.
They're certainly good enough.
TEAMS AND DETAILS
CASTRES OLYMPIQUE: U Mola; B Fleming, L Marticorena, M Denney, D Bory; X Sadourny, A Albouy; J Fitzpatrick, M Ledesma, A Galasso; L Nallet, N Spanghero, A Bias, R Capo Ortega, P Volley. Replacements: R Vigneaux, M Reggiardo, R Froment, J Deen, N Morlaes, R Dourthe, B Lhande.
MUNSTER: C Cullen; M Lawler, S Payne, R Henderson, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell; J Williams, A Foley (capt), D Wallace. Replacements: J Blaney, G McIlwham, T Hogan, A Quinlan, M Prendergast, P Burke, M Mullins.
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales).
EC FORMGUIDE (2004-2005): Munster bt Harlequins (h) 15-9; Munster bt Ospreys (a) 20-18. Castres bt Ospreys (h) 38-17; drew Harlequins (a) 23-23.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 1995-'96 (HC) Castres 19 Munster 12. 2000-'01 Munster 28 Castres 23; Castres 21 Munster 13. 2001-'02 (HC) Castres 29 Munster 32; Munster 21 Castres 11; Semi-final - Munster 25 Castres 17.
LEADING POINTS SCORERS: Castres - Richard Dourthe 18. Munster - Ronan O'Gara 20.
LEADING TRY SCORERS: Castres - Paul Volley, Benjamin Lhande, Mark Denney, Brad Fleming 1each. Munster - Denis Leamy, Anthony Horgan, Peter Stringer 1 each.
VERDICT: Munster.
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