Munster’s semi-final takes them to a 28-degree heat of Bordeaux this afternoon as they look to defeat Racing 92 for the fifth time in seven meetings and set up an all-Irish Champions Cup final against Leinster.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP SEMI-FINAL: Sunday, April 22
RACING 92 v MUNSTER, Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux, 4.15pm local time/3.15pm Irish time (live BT Sport 3/FR2/beIN Sports/RTÉ Radio 1/highlights TG4)
Team News: Today’s eagerly-awaited clash will be a record 13th European Cup semi-final for the province and their first trip to the Stade Chaban-Delmas since the famous 31-25 semi-final win over Toulouse 18 years ago.
There are two personnel changes and one positional switch to the Munster side that outlasted Toulon in an epic quarter-final meeting at Thomond Park. In a big boost for the Bordeaux game, Keith Earls returns from a knee injury to make his 150th Munster appearance, slotting in on the right wing.
Simon Zebo is the player to miss out, moving to the bench with Andrew Conway, the late try-scoring hero against Toulon, reverting to the full-back position. The rest of the back-line is unchanged with Sam Arnold and Rory Scannell – one of the province’s Player of the Year nominees – cementing the centre roles.
Niall Scannell gets the nod over Rhys Marshall at hooker in the only alteration up front. Dave Kilcoyne, Scannell and Stephen Archer combine in the front row, backed up by dependable second row duo Jean Kleyn and Billy Holland.
Captain Peter O’Mahony, Jack O’Donoghue, who has shaken off an ankle injury from the Cheetahs game, and CJ Stander are the starting back rowers, with Robin Copeland again providing back-up from the bench.
Rhys Marshall, James Cronin and John Ryan provide the front row cover, while former Racing 92 lock Gerbrandt Grobler is poised to make his second European appearance for Munster. James Hart, JJ Hanrahan and Zebo are the back-line options.
Meanwhile, Racing 92 coaches Laurent Travers and Laurent Labit have unsurprisingly kept faith with the team that saw off Clermont Auvergne 28-17 at the quarter-final stage. The only change sees tighthead Cedate Gomes Sa replace Ben Tameifuna for only his fourth European start.
South African-born duo Pat Lambie and Bernard le Roux are the only other players included in the XV who did not start January’s 34-30 pool victory over Munster at the U Arena. Lambie partners captain Maxime Machenaud at half-back, with the latter kicking 19 points in that last clash with the province.
There is a very familiar face in the second row as former Munster lock Donnacha Ryan pairs up with Fijian star Leone Nakarawa, one of the Paris club’s potential match winners. Racing’s bench options include two former All Blacks in out-half Dan Carter and outside back Joe Rokocoko.
RACING 92: Louis Dupichot; Teddy Thomas, Virimi Vakatawa, Henry Chavancy, Marc Andreu; Pat Lambie, Maxime Machenaud (capt); Eddy Ben Arous, Camille Chat, Cedate Gomes Sa, Donnacha Ryan, Leone Nakarawa, Wenceslas Lauret, Bernard le Roux, Yannick Nyanga.
Replacements: Dimitri Szarzewski, Vasil Kakovin, Viliamu Afatia, Antonie Claassen, Baptiste Chouzenoux, Teddy Iribaren, Dan Carter, Joe Rokocoko.
MUNSTER: Andrew Conway; Keith Earls, Sam Arnold, Rory Scannell, Alex Wootton; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, James Cronin, John Ryan, Gerbrandt Grobler, Robin Copeland, James Hart, JJ Hanrahan, Simon Zebo.
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes, Luke Pearce (both England)
Television Match Official: Graham Hughes (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Racing 92 to win: 8/13; Draw: 16/1; Munster to win: 6/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Johann van Graan (Munster) – “A lot of the guys on the team have played last year (in the semi-final loss to Saracens). It’s a massive positive to have that experience. Individuals learn lessons, I think that is what experience is all about. You’re going to your second semi-final in two years now, you’ve been there.
“Obviously this is going to be in France and not Ireland, but you try to learn out of your mistakes. Obviously I wasn’t involved last year. It was a totally different team. They played against a quality side who turned out to be champions again but I think if you’ve got to learn, every single day, we’ll take the lessons from that.
“I think Jerry (Flannery) and Felix (Jones) have been fantastic, our performance analyst George (Murray) has been fantastic in terms of guiding me with one or two things that happened last year. We’re adapting to change well. I think defensively to not concede a point away from home against the Cheetahs (in the second half last Friday) bodes well.
“We’ll do everything in our power. I’ve a lot of faith in these guys selected. We really want to do it. Anything is possible in a semi. You need to be at your best, I can’t stress that enough. To beat Racing in a semi-final would be a huge achievement for us as a side.”
Dan Carter (Racing 92) – “Munster are a class side, well-drilled, so we’re going to have to pull something special out in the semi-final if we’re going to advance into the final. It’s huge – not only for me, but for the team. I love having history and doing things that no teams have done before.
“If you look back at Racing 92’s history and how rare it is to make a final in Europe, we were lucky enough to do it a couple of years ago, so we’d love to go one step further.
“(But) we realise that we can’t look too far ahead. We’ve got quality opposition in front of us, so we’ll enjoy this moment and make sure that we continue to work hard to give ourselves the best chance to make the final.”
Current Form – Racing 92 – (Top 14 Championship): Won 25-21 v Castres Olympique (home), Lost 23-19 v Agen (away), Won 25-6 v Brive (away), Won 25-13 v Oyonnax (home), Lost 23-21 v Clermont Auvergne (away), Lost 20-17 v Lyon (home), Lost 16-9 v La Rochelle (away); (Champions Cup): Won 22-18 v Leicester Tigers (home), Lost 14-7 v Munster (away); (Top 14 Championship): Won 29-13 v Bordeaux-Begles (home), Won 23-20 v Pau (home), Won 40-29 v Toulon (away), Won 26-0 v Montpellier (home), Lost 27-17 v Stade Francais (away); (Champions Cup): Lost 16-13 v Castres Olympique (away), Won 29-7 v Castres Olympique (home); (Top 14 Championship): Won 23-19 v Toulouse (home), Won 16-12 v Oyonnax (away), Won 58-6 v Clermont Auvergne (home); (Champions Cup): Won 34-30 v Munster (home), Won 23-20 v Leicester Tigers (away); (Top 14 Championship): Won 18-13 v Castres Olympique (away), Won 19-12 v La Rochelle (home), Lost 24-15 v Pau (away), Won 17-13 v Brive (home), Lost 41-3 v Montpellier (away), Won 28-22 v Stade Francais (home), Won 24-22 v Lyon (away); (Champions Cup quarter-final): Won 28-17 v Clermont Auvergne (away); (Top 14 Championship): Won 17-13 v Toulon (home), Lost 42-27 v Toulouse (away)
Munster – (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 34-3 v Benetton Rugby (home), Won 51-18 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), Won 21-16 v Ospreys (away), Lost 37-10 v Glasgow Warriors (away), Won 39-16 v Cardiff Blues (home), Lost 23-17 v Leinster (away); (Champions Cup): Drew 17-17 v Castres Olympique (away), Won 14-7 v Racing 92 (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 20-16 v Connacht (away), Won 49-6 v Dragons (home), Won 36-19 v Zebre (away), Won 36-10 v Ospreys (home); (Champions Cup): Won 33-10 v Leicester Tigers (home), Won 25-16 v Leicester Tigers (away): (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 34-24 v Leinster (home), Lost 24-17 v Ulster (away), Won 39-13 v Connacht (home); (Champions Cup): Lost 34-30 v Racing 92 (away), Won 48-3 v Castres Olympique (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 33-5 v Zebre (home), Lost 25-18 v Cardiff Blues (away), Won 21-10 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Lost 12-6 v Edinburgh (away), Won 19-7 v Scarlets (home); (Champions Cup quarter-final): Won 20-19 v Toulon (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 39-22 v Southern Kings (away), Won 19-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (away)
Top Scorers – 2017/18 European Champions Cup: Racing 92 – Points: Maxime Machenaud 68; Tries: Leone Nakarawa 4; Munster – Points: Ian Keatley 71; Tries: Simon Zebo 3
Previous European Meetings: 6
Sunday, January 14, 2018 – Pool 4 – Racing 92 34 Munster 30, U Arena
Saturday, October 21, 2017 – Pool 4 – Munster 14 Racing 92 7, Thomond Park
Saturday, January 21, 2017 – Pool 1 – Munster 22 Racing 92 10, Thomond Park
Saturday, January 7, 2017 – Pool 1 – Racing 92 7 Munster 32, Stade Yves-du-Manoir
Sunday, January 20, 2013 – Pool 1 – Munster 29 Racing Metro 92 6, Thomond Park
Saturday, October 13, 2012 – Pool 1 – Racing Metro 92 22 Munster 17, Stade de France
Match Facts –
– Munster are participating in their 13th Champions Cup semi-final, no other team has played in more than 10, but this stage has consistently proven a difficult obstacle with Munster progressing from four of their 12 semi-finals
– Seven of those semi-finals have been away to Top 14 clubs (including one against Biarritz Olympique in San Sebastian) with Munster winning two of those encounters – the famous victory over Toulouse at Stade Chaban-Delmas in 2000 and a further success against Castres in Béziers in 2002
– Racing 92 have reached the last-four for the second time having beaten Leicester Tigers 19-16 in their only previous semi-final in 2016
– The teams have met six times previously with Munster winning four and losing twice. The teams met twice in the pool stages this season with the home side on the day winning each encounter
– Of the four semi-finalists, Munster’s Ian Keatley has scored the most tournament points this season with 71. CJ Stander leads the tournament stats for carries with 105 in his seven matches to date, and Peter O’Mahony is the top lineout exponent with 43 takes
– Racing’s Leone Nakarawa has just one carry less than Stander with 104 and tops the offload charts with 19
– Racing were Champions Cup finalists two years ago with two-time champions Munster last winning this competition in 2008, the last year that the province reached the final
– Historically, 29 of the 45 European Cup semi-finals to date have been won by the team with home country advantage – a 64% success rate.
European Cup Records:
Racing 92 –
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2015/16: Runners-up
2014/15: Reached the quarter-finals
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2011/12: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2010/11: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
Munster –
2016/17: Reached the semi-finals
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
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