MUNSTER HEAD COACH Clayton McMillan said his side are fired up to respond against Gloucester tomorrow after what he described as a ‘bordering on embarrassing’ display in Bath last weekend.

A capacity crowd of 40,000 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh will provide the backdrop as Munster try to get their Champions Cup campaign back on track after the 40-14 loss at The Rec.

McMillan said the response in training all week has had an edge to it and he feels they are determined to ‘earn a little bit of respect’ back.

“A really positive response, clearly, getting anywhere near where we wanted to be in Bath last week which was almost bordering on embarrassing for all of us and that embarrassment has been sitting in the pit of the stomach,” said the New Zealander.

“There’s been a good energy around the park and we know we’re not going to get anything for free this weekend, so we need to see a response.”

He has made nine changes to the side and said the bad weather forecast for the Cork GAA venue was a factor in selecting Mike Haley, Shane Daly and Ben O’Connor in the back three.

“Probably the most significant changes have been in the back three. Anticipating that the weather’s not going to be great in Cork and the guys that have been given an opportunity have probably demonstrated a real strength around their movement in the backfield, high ball catch, so that’s why we’ve got them there.”

McMillan said they have learnt a lot from the sobering experience in The Rec as they bid to avoid a third defeat in a row, having started the season with six wins in a row, including thje 31-28 success over an Argentina XV.

“I think it was a bad first 15 minutes. We had early possession but our set-piece malfunctioned. We gave Bath fairly easy access into try-scoring zone and they were good enough to capitalise on that. We were 28-0 down after 18 minutes, so it’s a long road back from there. Bath didn’t have to play a hell of a lot of rugby, they just went to the boot and made it a battle of the air and the ground.

“We both got as good as we gave in that regard and I guess that’s why it was reflected in the next 60 minutes being a 14-12 game. At this level, you just can’t afford to have the turnover rate that we did, otherwise you can expect to be punished.

“A big emphasis this week has been around respecting the ball and building better pressure cycles where we can force other teams into mistakes and that will open up opportunities for us to score.”

McMillan said they are determined to deliver a performance for their supporters against Gloucester, not least given the unique setting for the game.

“I enjoyed the phenomenal support in Bath and that’s probably one of the greatest embarrassment layers that we gave them nothing to get excited about.

“There’s an opportunity in front of us this week to earn a little bit of respect back. There’ll be a lot of people in the team who are proud Munster men but they’d almost argue they’d be proud Cork men. They’re fully fizzed, ready to go and collectively we know what we’re capable of achieving.

“We’d be disappointed if we don’t give a performance this coming weekend,” he added.