European Cup: Bourgoin v Munster Tomorrow, Stade de Geneve, Kick-off - 1pm (Irish-time), On TV - Sky Sports 2: Munster have become so big that even, it seems, France isn't big enough for them any more. So the Heineken European Cup reaches parts even it has never reached before with Bourgoin moving to the Stade de Geneve, the Cup's 80th venue in its burgeoning 12-year history. Another coronation for the champions then?
Maybe. Maybe not.
A cursory glance at Pool Four, with Bourgoin winless and bottom, Munster unbeaten and atop the table, suggests only one outcome. In the land of punditry, it seems merely a question of when, rather than if, Munster obtain their bonus point. Closer examination of this tie suggests it will be far from that simple.
Munster, for starters, are by no means ideally primed. The spate of festive fixtures has not permitted them to maintain their winning run or anything like their frontline line-up going into this game. Alan Quinlan has joined the hugely influential Trevor Halstead on the sidelines, and there remains a doubt about the number eight, Denis Leamy.
Surprisingly, the fit-again Anthony Foley has been named on the bench, with Munster preferring Mick O'Driscoll at blindside flanker. Presumably, this is with the exceptionally tall Bourgoin backrow and renowned maul in mind, and especially the third lineout option of Julien Bonnaire. Perhaps, too, recalling how Leicester ate into Munster's throw in Welford Road, Munster's Brains Trust are also thinking of next week's rendezvous in Limerick.
And so, so much of their game goes through the absent Halstead. It is decidedly helpful that Lifeimi Mafi, straining at the leash, decorated their defeat in Newport last week with a brace of tries. Nevertheless, it is a new midfield combination, which Munster were unable to try out last week due to Barry Murphy's illness. Lest we forget too, this is Bourgoin's day. Located near the Swiss-French border, Geneva is less than an hour's drive from Bourgoin in the Rhone Alps region.
Limited to an 8,500 capacity in the Stade Pierre Rajon, the home club is expecting a crowd in excess of 15,000, swelled by a 3,000-plus invasion by the Red Army; an extraordinary travelling contingent for a Sunday. This has echoes of Harlequins' surprising resolve when entertaining Munster in Twickenham two seasons ago and denying them an expected bonus point in an 18-10 defeat.
Notoriously selective in their dodgy H Cup history, much of Bourgoin's mystique at the Pierre Rajon has been dissipated by eight defeats in their last 10 home games in the competition. It is also true that their only two home defeats domestically in the last two seasons, against Perpignan last season and Clermont Auvergne in October, occurred when they moved the ties to Lyon or St Etienne.
Even so, Munster would have struggled big time to beat Bourgoin in their form last week when they shut out Biarritz 9-0 to end a run of three defeats. Bonnaire's mother had passed away earlier in the week, and a capacity crowd didn't raise a whisper for the minute's silence beforehand.
Their captain was outstanding, his team-mates rallying around him, none more so than loose-head Olivier Milloud, who is sure to give John Hayes, set to become the competition's second most capped player on his 68th appearance, a tough afternoon.
Significantly, they have made only three changes° - on both wings and at hooker, and lest we forget Munster are now the most prized scalp in Europe.
Declan Kidney, facing into his 60th European Cup tie as a coach (only Guy Noves and Gareth Jenkins have been involved in more matches) has as usual been at pains to stress that Bourgoin are a seriously good side. He pointed out that it was 35 minutes before they conceded their first penalty against Biarritz, simply because they owned the ball. Munster, thankfully, don't do complacency and the message has sunk in.
"They take teams on very well up front," admits Paul O'Connell, who watched that 9-0 mauling of Biarritz. "They played with a lot of intensity and passion, and that's what we're expecting from them on Sunday. They've taken the game to Geneva, there's a lot of publicity about it, it's going to be on TV obviously so we're expecting a big performance from them."
While acknowledging that Bourgoin are infamous for capitulating in certain European Cup matches previously, "that's not going to happen this weekend".
Furthermore, with Bourgoin lying sixth domestically and facing a trip to Perpignan, seven points ahead of them in the final top four place in a fortnight's time, next week away to Cardiff in a dead rubber looks a likelier time to throw their hat at it.
Munster forwards coach Jim Williams points to Bourgoin's height and strength up front, their continuity in battering away at Biarritz and committing numbers to rucks.
"Defensively they were well improved as well, the forward battle is going to be huge, they've got a great lineout so it's going to be difficult for us to win our set-pieces. It's going to be a crucial point of the game. As they say, it starts off in the forwards and that's going to be the case this weekend."
The January window has invariably seen Munster at their best in recent years, winning their final two pool games in each of the last three years.
Admittedly, as O'Connell stresses, they've usually been playing Cup finals due to an earlier loss. "Guys love this part of the competition. Past records don't stand for anything, it's about the here and now, but I do know that our guys do relish this time of year."
Time to prove it again and, as ever, you'd expect them to. But this is liable to be tougher than anticipated.
BOURGOIN:F Denos; S Finau, G Bousses, R Coetzee, Y David; S Laloo, M Parra; O Milloud, R Vigneaux, P Cardinali, B Williams, J Pierre, B Monzeglio, W Jooste, J Bonnaire (capt). Replacements: D Khinchagishvili, O Sourgens, C Del-Fava, M Rennie, M Prendergast, J Coux, M Nicolas.
MUNSTER:S Payne; J Kelly, B Murphy, L Mafi, I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (capt), M O'Driscoll, D Wallace, D Leamy. Replacements: J Flannery, F Pucciariello, J Coughlan, A Foley, T O'Leary, J Manning, C Cullen.
Referee:Malcolm Changleng (Scotland).
Previous meetings:1997-98 - Munster 17 Bourgoin 15; Bourgoin 21 Munster 21 Munster 6. 2003-04 - Bourgoin 17 Munster 18; Munster 26 Bourgoin 3.
Leading points scorers:Bourgoin - Benjamin Boyet 16. Munster - Ronan O'Gara 51.
Leading try scorers:Bourgoin - Florian Denos 2. Munster - Denis Leamy 3.
Betting (Paddy Powers):15/2 Bourgoin, 40/1 Draw, 1/20 Munster. Handicap odds (Bourgoin +20pts) 10/11 Bourgoin, 25/1 Draw, 10/11 Munster.
Forecast:Munster to win, but maybe not by 20.
PREVIOUS RESULTS
Bourgoin 13 Leicester 28; Cardiff 12 Munster 22; Munster 41 Bourgoin 23; Cardiff 17 Leicester 21; Bourgoin 5 Cardiff 13; Leicester 19 Munster 21; Munster 32 Cardiff 18; Leicester 57 Bourgoin 3.
REMAINING FIXTURES
Today: Leicester v Cardiff, 3.0. Tomorrow: Bourgoin v Munster, 1.0. Jan 20th: Cardiff v Bourgoin, 5.35; Munster v Leicester, 5.35.
• Presuming Leicester pick up a bonus point win at home to Cardiff, victory tomorrow should at least ensure Munster a quarter- final, but defeat would leave everything going down to the wire in Thomond Park. Were it to come down to head-to-head, Munster lead Leicester 4-1 in match points and 2-1 in tries.
