A 26,200-capacity Thomond Park crowd is sure to be engrossed as European Cup powerhouses Munster and Toulouse renew rivalries in what is a record 16th quarter-final appearance for both teams.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL: Saturday, April 1
MUNSTER (1st, Pool 1) v TOULOUSE (2nd, Pool 2), Thomond Park, 5.45pm (live Sky Sports 2 HD/beIN Sports/Sky Italia/RTÉ Radio 1/highlights TG4)
Team News: Munster director of rugby Rassie Erasmus welcomes back five Ireland internationals – Donnacha Ryan, CJ Stander, Conor Murray, Keith Earls and Simon Zebo – for Saturday’s much-anticipated Champions Cup quarter-final against Toulouse at Thomond Park.
All five players last lined out for the province in the Champions Cup round 6 win over Racing 92 at Thomond Park towards the end of January.
In an unchanged front row for the sold-out clash, hooker Niall Scannell will make his 50th senior appearance for Munster as he scrums down next to fellow Ireland internationals Dave Kilcoyne and John Ryan.
Ryan joins Billy Holland in the second row as Stander packs down at number 8 with captain Peter O’Mahony and Tommy O’Donnell again on the flanks.
Murray, who has been nursing a shoulder injury, is named alongside Tyler Bleyendaal at half back, while winger Earls, who scored three tries during Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, and full-back Zebo complete the changes to the back-line.
A further boost for the men in red sees Francis Saili make an earlier-than-expected return from a knee ligament injury to be named in the replacements. Dave O’Callaghan also features in his first European squad of the season.
Meanwhile, Toulouse boss Ugo Mola has made four personnel changes to the side that ended Connacht’s Champions Cup hopes with a 19-10 defeat at Stade Ernest Wallon in January.
Maxime Medard and Florian Fritz are restored to the back-line, with their French international colleague Yoann Huget reverting to the right wing. Samoan international Paul Perez, who played the final quarter of last weekend’s 20-11 Top 14 loss to Bordeaux-Bègles, starts on the left flank.
Italian hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini and highly-rated French flanker Yacouba Camara, who is still only 22, are the two changes up front from the Connacht game. Captain Thierry Dusautoir is set for his first ever Thomond Park appearance, with the 23-year-old Francois Cros – the only player in the team without an international cap – completing the back row.
Mola has opted for six forwards and two backs, including former All Black Luke McAlister, on the bench. Toulouse’s leading try scorer in this season’s tournament, young full-back/winger Arthur Bonneval (4 tries), is also kept in reserve.
MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Darren Sweetnam, Jaco Taute, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Tyler Bleyendaal, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Donnacha Ryan, Billy Holland, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, James Cronin, Stephen Archer, Dave O’Callaghan, Jack O’Donoghue, Duncan Williams, Francis Saili, Andrew Conway.
TOULOUSE: Maxime Médard; Yoann Huget, Florian Fritz, Gael Fickou, Paul Perez; Jean-Marc Doussain, Sébastien Bézy; Cyril Baille, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Census Johnston, Richie Gray, Yoann Maestri, Thierry Dusautoir (capt), Yacouba Camara, Francois Cros.
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Gurthro Steenkamp, Dorian Aldegheri, Talalelei Gray, Piula Faasalele, Joe Tekori, Luke McAlister, Arthur Bonneval.
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees: Greg Garner, Craig Maxwell-Keys (both England)
Television Match Official: David Grashoff (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Munster to win: 2/9; Draw: 25/1; Toulouse to win: 4/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Peter O’Mahony (Munster) – “We have a massive challenge this weekend, but it’s great to be back at Thomond Park for the quarter final of Europe – not to have to drag our supporters all over Europe.
“It’s nice to give them a home one and hopefully we can give them something to shout about. Both teams have a huge amount of experience and are successful and proud in Europe. Toulouse, with their history, will want to be back winning trophies, as do we.
“They are a big, big pack, possibly the most physical in Europe, and we can’t let ourselves be thrown about. We are a very proud team who will front up and get stuck in but we’ll do plenty of thinking on top of that.
“Rassie (Erasmus) and the lads will have a few things for us this week, but it starts with our physicality and our basics and we move from there. Toulouse have a world class back-line as well with a huge amount of internationals and one thing’s for certain, they won’t lack guys who have experienced rugby at the highest level, be that in Europe or in Test matches.”
Florian Fritz (Toulouse) – “It is the Irish public in general, but it is true that in Munster, they build a really special atmosphere and keep that up throughout the game, even for the opponents.
“I remember, when you get back on the pitch, that you start the warm-up laps, the fans applaud you. There is not a sound when the kicker is preparing his kicks. It is true that they are not far from being the best rugby crowd in the world in my opinion.”
Current Form – Munster – (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 23-13 v Scarlets (away), Lost 24-23 v Cardiff Blues (home), Won 20-16 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), Won 28-14 v Edinburgh (home), Won 49-5 v Zebre (home), Lost 35-14 v Leinster (away); (Champions Cup): Won 38-17 v Glasgow Warriors (home); (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 15-14 v Ulster (away), Won 33-0 v Ospreys (home), Won 46-3 v Benetton Treviso (home), Won 16-15 v Glasgow Warriors (away); (Champions Cup): Won 38-0 v Leicester Tigers (home), Lost 18-16 v Leicester Tigers (away); (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 29-17 v Leinster (home), Won 16-9 v Connacht (away); (Champions Cup): Won 32-7 v Racing 92 (away), Won 14-12 v Glasgow Warriors (away), Won 22-10 v Racing 92 (home); (GUINNESS PRO12): Won 10-9 v Edinburgh (away), Won 45-17 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), Won 25-23 v Ospreys (away), Lost 30-21 v Scarlets (home), Won 23-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), Won 50-14 v Zebre (away)
Toulouse – (Top 14 Championship): Won 20-12 v Montpellier (home), Won 22-17 v Bordeaux-Bègles (home), Lost 28-14 v Racing 92 (away), Lost 32-15 v Toulon (home), Lost 25-20 v Lyon (away), Won 23-18 v Stade Francais (home), Won 31-3 v Grenoble (home), Lost 29-25 v Clermont Auvergne (away); (Champions Cup): Lost 23-21 v Connacht (away), Drew 20-20 v Wasps (home); (Top 14 Championship): Won 24-20 v Pau (away), Won 16-15 v Castres Olympique (home), Lost 25-19 v La Rochelle (away), Lost 16-13 v Bayonne (away), Won 30-12 v Brive (home); (Champions Cup): Won 36-6 v Zebre (away), Won 54-15 v Zebre (home); (Top 14 Championship): Lost 26-22 v Grenoble (away), Won 26-20 v Clermont Auvergne (home), Won 18-15 v Stade Francais (away); (Champions Cup): Lost 17-14 v Wasps (away), Won 19-10 v Connacht (home); (Top 14 Championship): Lost 20-10 v Pau (home), Lost 27-18 v Montpellier (away), Lost 27-21 v La Rochelle (home), Lost 21-19 v Brive (away), Won 42-26 v Lyon (home), Lost 20-11 v Bordeaux-Bègles (away)
Top Scorers – 2016/17 European Champions Cup: Munster – Points: Tyler Bleyendaal 73; Tries: Simon Zebo 4; Toulouse – Points: Sébastien Bézy 29; Tries: Arthur Bonneval 4
Previous European Meetings: 5
Saturday, April 5, 2014 – Quarter-final – Munster 47 Toulouse 23, Thomond Park
Saturday, May 24, 2008 – Final – Munster 16 Toulouse 13, Millennium Stadium
Saturday, April 26, 2003 – Semi-final – Toulouse 13 Munster 12, Le Stadium
Saturday, May 6, 2000 – Semi-final – Toulouse 25 Munster 31, Stade Chaban-Delmas
Saturday, November 2, 1996 – Pool D – Toulouse 60 Munster 19, Stade Ernest Wallon
Match Facts –
– This will be the sixth match between the two former champions with the last four encounters all coming in the knock-out stages (three Munster wins, one for Toulouse)
– Munster have won 31 of their last 34 home games (L3) in the European Cup and have won seven of eight home quarter-final ties. Ulster, in 2012, are the only team to win a quarter-final at Thomond Park
– Toulouse have lost their last two quarter-final matches (including a 47-23 defeat at Thomond Park in 2014) and the last time they reached the semi-finals in 2011, they lost to Leinster
– Munster and Toulouse have the tournament record number of appearances in the knockout stages with 16 apiece. This will be the 157th match for both teams in the competition
– Munster conceded four tries in the pool stages, fewer than any other side with all four scores coming in the second half
– Toulouse have lost six of their last seven away games in the Champions Cup, with their one win in this period coming against Zebre in Parma
– CJ Stander made exactly 100 carries in the pool stages, 22 more than any other player. He and Jamie Heaslip (who misses Leinster’s quarter-final against Wasps through injury) are the only two players to have played every minute of the competition to date
– Toulouse averaged more offloads per game than any other side in the pool stages (23.7), while Joe Tekori made 21, six more than any other player
European Cup Records:
Munster –
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2013/14: Reached the semi-finals
2012/13: Reached the semi-finals
2011/12: Reached the quarter-finals
2010/11: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2009/10: Reached the semi-finals
2008/09: Reached the semi-finals
2007/08: Champions
2006/07: Reached the quarter-finals
2005/06: Champions
2004/05: Reached the quarter-finals
2003/04: Reached the semi-finals
2002/03: Reached the semi-finals
2001/02: Runners-up
2000/01: Reached the semi-finals
1999/00: Runners-up
1998/99: Reached the quarter-finals
1997/98: Failed to qualify from Pool D
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool D
1995/96: Failed to qualify from Pool D
Toulouse –
2015/16: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2014/15: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2013/14: Reached the quarter-finals
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2011/12: Reached the quarter-finals
2010/11: Reached the semi-finals
2009/10: Champions
2008/09: Reached the quarter-finals
2007/08: Runners-up
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2005/06: Reached the quarter-finals
2004/05: Champions
2003/04: Runners-up
2002/03: Champions
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
1999/00: Reached the semi-finals
1998/99: Reached the quarter-finals
1997/98: Reached the semi Finals
1996/97: Reached the semi-finals
1995/96: Champions
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