Saracens a tough task for Munster

Scarcely six days after facing their latest moment of truth, Munster brace themselves for another potentially season-defining game. Even in the Heineken Cup's 24-team format, winning home games was imperative and no team in Europe was more assured and nerveless in obtaining them than Munster, but repeating the trick looks even more vital for them in this campaign.

Given treks to both Saracens and Clermont await, anything less than victory this evening will most probably be fatal to Munster's chances of reaching the knock-out stages for a 16th time in 17 seasons. That Saracens and Clermont achieved bonus points last week in the former's 30-23 win is also probably not helpful for Munster.

Titanic struggles

Although Munster would assuredly settle for a win of any description here, were they to deny Saracens a bonus point all the better. That would seem highly unlikely though. In five mostly titanic struggles between the two, there has never been more than a score between them and it’s hard to envisage this being any different.

Quarter-finalists, semi-finalists and finalists in the last three seasons, a more expansive Saracens arrive in free-scoring and confident mood, having won all bar once this season, and with Chris Ashton having already scored twice last week and no doubt further motivated by his exclusion from England's squad during the week.

James Cronin and BJ Botha have been rewarded for strong impacts off the bench again last week, albeit they should be doing so against tiring opposition, with promotions to Munster's starting XV, although there is probably a degree of rotation going on here.

Anthony Foley must have been tempted to start JJ Hanrahan as well, given the coach's liking for two playmakers, and how much more width and tempo the Keatley-Hanrahan axis gives Munster through the accuracy of their passing, as well as a second kicker out of hand.

Then there were the problems which the Denis Hurley-Andrew Smyth midfield combination had last week, notably in defence, even if Keatley and Peter O’Mahony were also amongst those culpable in a porous midfield.

Viable cover

Foley, however, not alone believes fervently that Hurley can be an effective inside centre at this level after a career mostly at fullback but that Hanrahan offers a plan B for the last 20 or 30 as part of a 23-man game, as well as more viable cover for Keatley from the bench.

Billy Vunipola's ball-carrying showdown with CJ Stander is liable to be worth the admission money alone, while Mark McCall has restored Neil de Kick and Owen Farrell to half-back, and Marcelo Bosch at outside centre, as well as Jim Hamilton at lock for the injured Alistair Hargreaves.

Certainly Munster can ill-afford a reprise of last week’s sluggish first-half, with Foley admitting that they have rarely played worse and won, notably in their use of the ball, field position and allowing Sale so much go-forward ball.

In any event, whatever about all three Irish sides losing their way a tad in the first-half after bright starts, their fitness levels compared favourably to their Premiership opponents.

Indeed, having lost the first halves by a combined tally of 62-21 (conceding seven tries to two) the Irish trio won their second periods by a cumulative 49-9, scoring six tries to none.

Munster should also have momentum from last week, provided they start with the kind of accuracy at the breakdown and ball retention which was the hallmark of their first hour against Leinster and second half against Sale. They’ll need to hit the ground running here, with O’Mahony, Stander and Tommy O’Donnell especially allowing the outstanding Conor Murray to go on being the fulcrum around which much of Foley’s re-designed Munster operate.

If so, they may just get there, but it’s liable to be another bare knuckle ride.