MUNSTER KNOW PAINFULLY well that there is no time to be lost when it comes to the Champions Cup pool stages.
Last season, they missed out on the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time in 11 years.
It hurt them badly. So this time around, they’re keen to start racking up match points as early and efficiently as possible.
Racing 92 visit Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday evening for the province’s Pool 3 opener, the first round of this Champions Cup campaign having been moved forward from December to October.
Clayton McMillan’s men have tough challenges ahead, with a trip to Bristol to come in December and a visit to reigning champions Bordeaux scheduled in January. They will conclude their pool campaign at home to Gloucester in January.
Last season, Munster opened with a heavy loss away to Bath before recovering with a bonus-point victory at home to Gloucester. But the January games brought more pain as they came up short away to Toulon and were then beaten by Castres at Thomond Park.
So they need to heed the lesson of last season ahead of Racing’s visit this weekend as they aim to get back in among the Champions Cup knock-outs later this season.
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“That Castres game was probably still living in a lot of our heads, I think, but we let it get to that stage as well,” says Munster scrum-half Craig Casey.
“We probably need to have it done by then. If you look at all the other teams that went on to semi-finals and finals, and quarter-finals even, they’ve all had that wrapped up before the last game.
“So, starting well is obviously key. We lost to Bath last year, started poorly and then obviously had to scrape it back and get a bonus-point win against Gloucester and then went away, lost to Toulon, and then had the pressure on us for that last game and failed to deliver.
“So, you kind of want it done before that last game, and obviously we’ve got a few tough fixtures coming up. It seems to be all our group are going well at the minute. So, it’s going to be a tough group, but I think we’ll put our best foot forward this weekend and kind of drive on from that.
Jared Payne has had a 'brilliant' impact on Munster. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“It’s weird. Normally you have the back-to-back games in Europe, but it’s definitely a change having a once-off European game.”
Munster will mark the 10th anniversary of Anthony Foley’s passing in a number of ways on Saturday, with Casey underlining that the best thing the current players can do to honour him is to deliver a convincing performance against Racing.
Casey and co. are excited to build on some of the encouraging signs in their three opening URC games of the season, with Munster’s set-piece having been strong and some sharp signs from their attack.
Former Ireland centre and Ulster assistant coach Jared Payne has come in to work alongside Mossy Lawler on the Munster attack, with Payne driving their set-piece strike plays.
“He’s been brilliant so far,” says Casey of Payne. “I think he’s just been a kind of calming presence. He just allows you to go and play rugby, and he has exciting strikes.
“But it’s good to kind of just dip into that knowledge that he has. He’s calm, he sees the game in that way, ‘just go out and play rugby,’ and he puts the structures in place for us to do that and express ourselves. So he’s been brilliant.”
Casey is Lawlor’s nephew, and he is enjoying seeing his relative taking on more responsibility for Munster’s attack this season.
“I’ve worked closely with Mossy since I was about six or whatever age, and then really, really closely since I was about 13,” says Casey.
“To see him kind of take the role that he wanted and bring his attack to life has been great, and he’s been a bundle of kind of energy in terms of what he wants to bring to the whole place as well.
“I think you’ve seen that over the last few weeks and mixing well with Jared as well. They see the game in a similar way.”
As Munster aim for a fast start to this Champions Cup campaign, they’ll be planning on Payne and Lawlor’s plays to help them cut Racing apart.
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Munster determined to muscle back into Champions Cup knock-outs
MUNSTER KNOW PAINFULLY well that there is no time to be lost when it comes to the Champions Cup pool stages.
Last season, they missed out on the knock-out stages of the competition for the first time in 11 years.
It hurt them badly. So this time around, they’re keen to start racking up match points as early and efficiently as possible.
Racing 92 visit Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday evening for the province’s Pool 3 opener, the first round of this Champions Cup campaign having been moved forward from December to October.
Clayton McMillan’s men have tough challenges ahead, with a trip to Bristol to come in December and a visit to reigning champions Bordeaux scheduled in January. They will conclude their pool campaign at home to Gloucester in January.
Last season, Munster opened with a heavy loss away to Bath before recovering with a bonus-point victory at home to Gloucester. But the January games brought more pain as they came up short away to Toulon and were then beaten by Castres at Thomond Park.
So they need to heed the lesson of last season ahead of Racing’s visit this weekend as they aim to get back in among the Champions Cup knock-outs later this season.
“That Castres game was probably still living in a lot of our heads, I think, but we let it get to that stage as well,” says Munster scrum-half Craig Casey.
“We probably need to have it done by then. If you look at all the other teams that went on to semi-finals and finals, and quarter-finals even, they’ve all had that wrapped up before the last game.
“So, starting well is obviously key. We lost to Bath last year, started poorly and then obviously had to scrape it back and get a bonus-point win against Gloucester and then went away, lost to Toulon, and then had the pressure on us for that last game and failed to deliver.
“So, you kind of want it done before that last game, and obviously we’ve got a few tough fixtures coming up. It seems to be all our group are going well at the minute. So, it’s going to be a tough group, but I think we’ll put our best foot forward this weekend and kind of drive on from that.
“It’s weird. Normally you have the back-to-back games in Europe, but it’s definitely a change having a once-off European game.”
Munster will mark the 10th anniversary of Anthony Foley’s passing in a number of ways on Saturday, with Casey underlining that the best thing the current players can do to honour him is to deliver a convincing performance against Racing.
Casey and co. are excited to build on some of the encouraging signs in their three opening URC games of the season, with Munster’s set-piece having been strong and some sharp signs from their attack.
Former Ireland centre and Ulster assistant coach Jared Payne has come in to work alongside Mossy Lawler on the Munster attack, with Payne driving their set-piece strike plays.
“He’s been brilliant so far,” says Casey of Payne. “I think he’s just been a kind of calming presence. He just allows you to go and play rugby, and he has exciting strikes.
“But it’s good to kind of just dip into that knowledge that he has. He’s calm, he sees the game in that way, ‘just go out and play rugby,’ and he puts the structures in place for us to do that and express ourselves. So he’s been brilliant.”
Casey is Lawlor’s nephew, and he is enjoying seeing his relative taking on more responsibility for Munster’s attack this season.
“I’ve worked closely with Mossy since I was about six or whatever age, and then really, really closely since I was about 13,” says Casey.
“To see him kind of take the role that he wanted and bring his attack to life has been great, and he’s been a bundle of kind of energy in terms of what he wants to bring to the whole place as well.
“I think you’ve seen that over the last few weeks and mixing well with Jared as well. They see the game in a similar way.”
As Munster aim for a fast start to this Champions Cup campaign, they’ll be planning on Payne and Lawlor’s plays to help them cut Racing apart.
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Castres Champions Cup fast start Munster Pool racing 92