Munster Miss Out On Warm-Up Chance

…A view of the pitch at Stradey Park on Saturday…

Munster will take on Perpignan in next weekend’s Heineken Cup quarter-final having not played a single fixture since March 3.

That is the scenario facing coach Declan Kidney and his management team after Munster’s Celtic League clash with Llanelli Scarlets, which was due to take place at Stradey Park on Saturday (kick-off 5.30pm), was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

Munster’s last game saw them lose away to Ulster in the League.

Scottish referee Rob Dickson called off Saturday’s game just under an hour before the scheduled kick-off. Seemingly, both Llanelli and Munster officials were willing to let the encounter go ahead despite the tretcherous conditions. The Scarlets now have four games in hand on their League rivals and a crowded fixture list ahead of them.

Munster were looking for an ideal test ahead of their Lansdowne Road tussle with Perpignan next Saturday. Long term injury victims Christian Cullen and Mike Mullins were looking for game-time, whilst Kidney wanted to look at noted scrum half Tomas O’Leary in a centre role with Trevor Halstead as his midfield partner.

…Members of the local fire brigade and ground staff try to drain the waterlogged pitch at Stradey Park…

Kidney said: “Playing against a European Cup side like Llanelli would have been the perfect prelude to next Saturday. It would have given us the chance to note where we stood.

“We go into the match against Perpignan now without any game for four weeks and without having our whole squad together for ten weeks.

“It’s certainly not the ideal preparation for a Heineken Cup fixture,” he told the Irish Examiner. “We will just have to look at the positive side, maybe we will be a small bit fresher, and at least we didn’t pick up any more bangs or knocks.”

News on a re-fixture date is expected shortly.