Champions Cup quarter-final: Bordeaux Bègles v Munster, Stade Chaban-Delmas, Saturday, 3pm Irish time – Live on Premier Sport
If Munster were somehow to emulate the famed generation of 2006 and 2008, then this would definitely be one to tell the grandchildren about. Never has one side plotted a more treacherous route to the final – and there’s plenty more road to travel yet, all of it on French soil.
They deserved a breather after their titanic 25-24 win in La Rochelle, which was only the third time an away side has progressed in 38 knockout ties over the last three seasons, and all of them have done so by a solitary point. Instead, a week on, they have to go again – a tough ask for them and their supporters.
Furthermore, Munster hadn’t won a knockout tie on French soil since 2002 when beating Castres 25-17 in Béziers, although it’s worth noting that they’d beaten Stade Français in Paris in the previous round.
Munster had lost six knockout ties in France over the intervening 22 seasons, if one includes Biarritz twice taking them to San Sebastián in the Basque Country.
Even the organisers imposing the quarter-finals in such ridiculously quick time after last week’s round of 16 seems additionally unfair, especially on Munster.
Granted, they have been strengthened by the availability of Alex Nankivell after their appeal halved his suspension. Then again, Jeremy Loughman (hamstring) has been ruled out, with Josh Wycherley starting and 24-year-old Cork Con prop Mark Donnelly in line for his Champions Cup debut off the bench. Seán O’Brien drops to the bench, which again has a 6-2 split.
Forecasts of downpours have relented, seemingly replaced by some drizzle and a moderate breeze in 19 degrees for what is liable to be a striking contrast in styles.
“I think simply controlling the kicking game is really important,” ventured Munster defence coach Denis Leamy this week. “How we attack, how we hold possession, how we bring them through phases and obviously take our opportunities.
“And then big moments in defence, when inevitably they’re going to stress us, that we keep our cool, we keep our discipline and we come up with big plays. I think that’s hugely important, and what I mean by big plays, it’s how we slow down their speed of play.
“They will be very strong in chaos, in fractured play. How we play and how we move with them will be really important. So our speed across the pitch, which I thought was very good and really important the other day in terms of Tuckie [Abrahams], in terms of Smithy [Andrew Smith], Calvin [Nash], how they moved across the pitch and the bit of speed in the one-on-ones against the outside attackers from La Rochelle. That was key and that will be key again this weekend.”
By coincidence, the only home quarter-final defeat in the last two seasons was here, on the corresponding weekend last season. Then, Maxime Lucu missed a very kickable conversion near the end of UBB’s 42-41 loss to Harlequins.
More settled and confident than La Rochelle, that is likely to be an additional motivator for UBB who recall outhalf Matthieu Jalibert, Rohan Janse van Rensburg and world-class winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, while Jon Echegaray starts in place of Romain Buros who suffered a leg injury against Ulster.
UBB’s attack coach, Clare native Noel McNamara, also envisages “an absolute battle”, adding: “From Munster’s perspective the ruck is a huge part of their game, both in attack and defence. Their attack is very similar to Ireland’s. They look to attack you and split the field and then either keep going or swing back, and they’ve got good shapes, well connected, fantastic support and intent and urgency around the ruck, the speed of ball they generate and then they can hurt you as well.
“Ironically, it’s similar in defence. They’re very strong in putting pressure on the ball, Tadhg Beirne in particular but there are others,” said McNamara, namechecking John Hodnett, Alex Nankivell and Peter O’Mahony.
“That’s their game. They’re compact, they’re aggressive at the breakdown and they’re hard to break down. So, for us, it will be trying to put as much speed in the game as we possibly can, try to get in to those unstructured situations, and try and impose our strength on the game, and hopefully we can be successful in doing that.”
All things considered then, this looks a tougher task than a week ago for Munster on several levels.
MUNSTER: Thaakir Abrahams; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Peter O’Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Mark Donnelly, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Tom Ahern, Conor Murray, Seán O’Brien, Alex Kendellen.
BORDEAUX BÈGLES: Jon Echegaray; Damian Penaud, Yofana Moefana, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu (capt); Jefferson Poirot, Maxime Lamothe, Ben Tameifuna; Cyril Cazeaux, Adam Coleman; Mahamadou Diaby, Guido Petti, Peter Samu.
Replacements: Connor Sa, Matis Perchaud, Sipili Falatea, Pierre Bochaton, Marko Gazotti, Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, Yann Lesgourgues, Pablo Uberti.
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
Forecast: UBB to win.
