Munster v Llanelli preview

Munster v Llanelli, Sunday, Thomond Pk, 1.0:  On TV: Sky Sports 3On the face of it, Munster will be expected to routinely complete back-to-back wins over Llanelli in their Thomond Park fortress tomorrow after beating the Scarlets in Stradey Park last week. But if ever such a comfortable prognosis is liable to be shredded it is this one.

No team has ever completed back-to-back wins over Llanelli and looking at Munster's previous quintet of successive victories it would assuredly top any of them.

For starters, Llanelli are no Bourgoin or Italian side. More pertinently, Llanelli are a Welsh mirror image of Munster. Nuff said. Recalling their own back-to-back wins over the mighty Toulouse at this point last year and their run of seven straight wins that took them to the semi-finals - including a fairly conclusive quarter-final win over Munster - it is hard to believe that largely the same group of Llanelli players will lose six from six a year on. In the shark-infested Pool Five, they have vowed to have a say in who will ultimately sink or swim, and they surely will.

As a statement of intent, one need look no further than their team selection. Phil Davies has made six changes, but they seem if anything to be a stronger looking unit. First and foremost, their tactical lynchpin Stephen Jones has recovered from his neck injury to partner their livewire scrumhalf Dwayne Peel.

Their promising 19-year-old centre Jonathan Davies comes in to replace Gavin Evans at inside centre; Ben Broster gets his first start in the European Cup, coming in for Deacon Manu, while the bigger, stronger Vernon Cooper replaces Scott MacLeod in the second row. Similarly, the back row has a more dynamic look to it with the return of their summer recruit from the Ospreys, James Bater, and Alix Popham, who replace Gavin Thomas and Dafydd Jones respectively.

The Munster pack having produced their best performance of the season last week, when they played like eight brothers under the astute leadership of Anthony Foley, the surprise is that Declan Kidney felt compelled to make any alterations.

Marcus Horan has, however, been dropped to the bench in the week his wife gave birth to their first child, Heather. Federico Pucciariello comes into the front row, with Horan on the bench to the
exclusion of Tony Buckley, where Niall Ronan comes in instead of James Coughlan.

"Marcus played the entire game last week in Stradey and on this occasion we feel it opportune to have Federico start," was all Kidney would say in explaining this decision.

Llanelli's offloading, high-tempo game causes Munster problems, and they can swing from the hip tomorrow. That makes them especially dangerous. Foley and the forwards, buoyed by last week's upturn, will need to exert the same unstinting control, with Ronan O'Gara attaining the same majestic heights along with, if anything, an even more precise defensive effort.

A win without a bonus point would not necessarily be a disaster. Munster failed to run in four tries in back-to-back wins over the Dragons at this point two seasons ago, leading to doom-laden forecasts that they would not emerge from the pool. They drifted to 28 to 1 in the betting, and duly reached their destiny.

MUNSTER:S Payne; B Carney, R Tipoki, L Mafi, I Dowling; R O'Gara (capt), P Stringer; F Pucciariello, J Flannery, J Hayes; D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll; D Leamy, D Wallace, A Foley. Replacements: F Sheahan, M Horan, D Ryan, N Ronan, G Hurley, P Warwick, K Lewis.

LLANELLI SCARLETS:M Stoddart; M Jones, R King, J Davies, N Brew; S Jones, D Peel; I Thomas, J Hayter, B Broster; V Cooper, A Eustace; S Easterby (capt), J Bater, A Popham. Replacements: D George, D Manu, S MacLeod, N Thomas, G Thomas, G Cattle, C Thomas.

Referee: Dave Pearson (England).