FOLLOWING-ON from last weekend’s classic in Thomond Park, Munster will be planning a second five-pointer as they prepare travel to Italy to face Zebre Parma in the 5,000-seater Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi on Saturday, 3pm.
The narrow win over Connacht was described by BKT URC as ‘Best of Opening Day,’ and the home side’s resilience in the face of defeat showed that this group of players are certainly going to be hard to beat.
Zebre have never betteredThe Reds but going on their display last weekend, away to Cardiff, they are sure to put up a fight.
Players to look out for are out-half Giovanni Montemauri, Giulio Bertaccini in the centre and flanker Samuele Locatelli and Graham Rowntree warned that “they are a young team, they will be waiting for us on their home pitch and it will be their first home game of the season in this competition.”
There was a particularly lifting atmosphere in Thomond Park on Saturday and despite an attendance of a moderate 15,705 the ground was rocking.
What a game these two sides served up and it is not often that you attend a rugby match that shares ten tries.
It was played at the speed of ‘sevens’, hard-fought, sporting and definitely one of the best URC fixtures this writer has attended.
With Billy Burns unlikely to feature in a few days’ time owing to an AC injury, which is common for number tens, there may be a start for Tony Butler who starred after coming in Limerick.
It was his accurate conversion that sealed the victory.
Munster were struggling for tens towards the end of last season but with Crowley, Burns and Butler there now appears to be adequate options.
Look out for another budding ‘Ronan O’Gara’.
19-year-old Dylan Hicks who played with Bantry Bay RFC and was included in under 18s and under 19s with Ireland, is said to be very promising and could well emerge from the Munster Academy before the season is out.
