IT’S back to Munster fans’ favourite competition this Saturday in Thomond Park when Saracens are visitors in a crucial third round of the Investec Champions Cup.
Formerly the Heineken Cup, the home side will be striving to take a step further to qualification for the knock-out stages by earning precious points in what promises to be a very tight and interesting contest.
Opponents Saracens, who are currently third in the Gallagher Premiership, will provide no easy task and they had a 35-26 win over second placed Bristol Bears at the weekend. With the Six Nations looming, players are now striving for recognition and Sarries’ Tom Lillis, who scored a brace of tries in the Bristol game, will be out to continue his good form.
The 25-year-old number eight is surely one to watch and we could see him win his first England cap when they take on Ireland next month.
The club’s director of Rugby Mark McCall commented after the game that “Tom was outstanding. He’s been outstanding all year and if he keeps on putting in performances like that, he’ll get rewarded.”
Others to watch are Lucio Cinto, Elliott Daly, and winger Fergus Bourke, who notched two touchdowns against Bristol.
The captain of the side, England’s Maro Itoje, has been having a rough time with eight yellow cards in 21 games.
It’s been a difficult few days for training due to the weather conditions but Munster will have their plan in place before the 5.30pm kick-off.
Left out of the side against Leinster, Jack Crowley is sure to be back, the pack last week was solid with Dian Bleuler, Niall Scannell and Oli Jager likely to form the front row once again.
The backline is likely to remain with Tom Farrell adding another try to his mounting tally against Leinster. Unfortunately, Munster’s bench is slightly weak at present and the result is that strong finishes are difficult when required.
Munster and their supporters have taken this competition to their hearts from its foundation in 1995/96 and they have qualified for almost every knock-out stage since then.
