When The Saints Come Marching In
21/01/10 21:39 Filed in: Sport
How many times have
we been here before? Last round of the pool stages
of the Heineken Cup, and Munster welcome a
high-flying English team to Thomond Park for a
winner-takes-all do-or-die encounter. Gloucester
have been here, as have Sale and Wasps. The only
team ever to have spoiled the party for Munster was
Leicester back in 2007, but we were qualified by
then anyway.
Northampton Saints are the latest to make the trek to Limerick in order to try to upset the Munster applecart. To many of the players, this will be seen as
just another
match. But how that perception will change when
they run out onto the pitch and see the sea of red
and hear the deafening roar. Thomond is as
intimidating a place to come to for an opposing
player as you can imagine. (But in a nice sort of
way, you understand. Munster rugby people are very
welcoming folk in every other way.
Just don’t get
cocky,
or presume that you might win.)
This should be a Munster win. Not necessarily a comfortable one, and a bonus point will not be considered before the game kicks off. Munster need to win in order to get a home quarter final, and they have been in this type of situation before.
“But Munster have never beaten Northampton in the Heineken Cup, and the Saints have a better scrum, and they’re third in the Guinness Premiership, and, and, and…”
And bollocks. Northampton have never faced Munster in Thomond Park on the last weekend of the pool stage before.
Northampton Saints are the latest to make the trek to Limerick in order to try to upset the Munster applecart. To many of the players, this will be seen as
This should be a Munster win. Not necessarily a comfortable one, and a bonus point will not be considered before the game kicks off. Munster need to win in order to get a home quarter final, and they have been in this type of situation before.
“But Munster have never beaten Northampton in the Heineken Cup, and the Saints have a better scrum, and they’re third in the Guinness Premiership, and, and, and…”
And bollocks. Northampton have never faced Munster in Thomond Park on the last weekend of the pool stage before.