TALK ABOUT A timely boost. Munster head coach Graham Rowntree must have travelled to South Africa yesterday with a real sense of optimism, bolstered by the return to fitness of some of his key players.
Conor Murray, RG Snyman, Calvin Nash, and Malakai Fekitoa all missed Munster’s impressive semi-final win away to Leinster due to head injuries, but they’re back fit and available for Saturday’s final against the Stormers in Cape Town.
There was also encouraging news on Jean Kleyn and Ben Healy, both of whom suffered head injuries against Leinster two weekends ago. They’re due to complete the return-to-play protocols this week and travelled with Munster yesterday.
So Munster are in good nick for this shot at the province’s first trophy since the 2011 Magner’s League success. They were in a Pro 14 final as recently as 2021 but there wasn’t much expectation of them upsetting Leinster that day behind closed doors at the RDS.
This time, there is a great sense of hope among Munster fans despite the Stormers being five-point favourites at DHL Stadium, which sold out in the space of just three hours last Thursday.
And as URC CEO Martin Anayi revealed on The 42 Rugby Weekly Extra podcast yesterday, it’s expected that more than 5,000 Munster fans will be at the final.
“I think we sold the 3,000 tickets made available to Munster, they all went immediately, and they reckon there’s going to be at least 5,000 Munster fans in the stadium,” said Anayi.
While that will still leave around 50,000 home fans cheering on the Stormers, the sheer scale of travelling support all the way to South Africa will clearly add to the motivation levels for Rowntree’s men. It could be a phenomenal occasion.
The Munster selection for this decider will be interesting and Rowntree has had some welcome headaches with the returning players improving his options.
Craig Casey had a key role in Munster overcoming Leinster in memorable style, but Murray had been playing excellent rugby in recent times at number nine and could come straight back into the starting XV with Casey off the bench. That said, Munster have picked Casey ahead of Murray at other stages of this season.
The return of Fekitoa in midfield should result in Jack Crowley returning to the number 1o shirt after starting at inside centre against Leinster, with Healy at out-half.
Again, Crowley had been the first-choice pick at number 10 in recent times. He was excellent there against Glasgow in the away quarter-final win, as well as slotting the winning drop goal against Leinster after shifting to out-half when Healy was forced off in the first half.
Snyman’s X-factor will be welcome in the second row again, particularly given how impressive he was when Munster won against the Stormers in Cape Town last month.
Snyman starting would possibly mean Tadhg Beirne moving into the back row at blindside flanker again, allowing Kleyn to team up with Snyman in the second row.
Beirne could be alongside captain Peter O’Mahony and Gavin Coombes in the back row, although John Hodnett has been playing excellent rugby and Alex Kendellen is in form too. Hodnett and Kendellen could be sprung from a 6/2 bench, but then Jack O’Donoghue would miss out having made a big impact as a replacement against Leinster.
And there has been a welcome conundrum in the outside backs too with Nash returning from his head injury. Nash has been one of Munster’s best players this season and will feel he has earned a starting spot in the final, while the in-form Shane Daly appears nailed-on on the left wing.
That could mean Keith Earls dropping out of the starting XV again, while the prospect of a 6/2 bench split also makes it complicated when trying to squeeze everyone into the matchday 23.
Of course, Munster may be tempted to start Earls given his experience and his performance against Leinster last time out. But there is another scenario where he could even miss out altogether.
Going with a 5/3 bench split would remove that prospect, but then Munster would miss out on the additional ballast offered by someone like Hodnett or Kendellen up front.
This might all have been a little stressful for Rowntree when it came to actually selecting the side he will officially announce on Friday afternoon, but it’s a great place for Munster to be.
All the pressure is on the defending champions on home soil and Munster will be roared on by the travelling Red Army as they look for another famous win on the road.
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