Looking to sew up home advantage in the Champions Cup quarter-finals, Munster will be on their guard against a Racing side that rebounded very well with a 34-3 hammering of Leicester Tigers last weekend.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP – POOL 1: Saturday, January 21
MUNSTER (1st) v RACING 92 (4th), Thomond Park, 5.30pm (live Sky Sports 2 HD/beIN Sports/Newstalk/highlights TG4)
Team News: Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has made three changes to the Munster team for this evening’s sold-out Champions Cup clash with Racing 92.
Tommy O’Donnell, James Cronin and Ronan O’Mahony come into the starting line-up as Munster target the win that would guarantee them a home quarter-final.
Flanker O’Donnell returns from injury to start as Jack O’Donoghue moves to the bench and Cronin is given the nod at loosehead prop with Dave Kilcoyne reverting to the replacements.
Winger O’Mahony, Munster’s top try scorer so far this season with six tries, takes the place of Keith Earls in the only change to the back-line. The Moyross man is not included after taking a knock to his ribs in training earlier this week.
It is as you were elsewhere with Niall Scannell and John Ryan continuing at hooker and tighthead prop respectively, while Donnacha Ryan is partnered by Jean Kleyn in the second row and captain Peter O’Mahony, O’Donnell and CJ Stander complete the pack.
Conor Murray and Tyler Bleyendaal are again the half-back pairing with no change to the centre partnership of Rory Scannell and Jaco Taute. Simon Zebo and Andrew Conway are also retained in the back-three.
Zebo will be hoping to continue his outstanding try-scoring record against Racing – Munster’s all-time leading try scorer has touched down five times in three games against the Paris club.
Today’s sold-out round 6 fixture will mark Munster’s 60th top flight European Cup game at Thomond Park, the first of which took place against Swansea in 1995, with the province losing just four of those 60 encounters at the Limerick venue.
Meanwhile, the three Racing 92 players called up to France’s Six Nations squad this wee have been included in the team to play high-flying Munster at Thomond.
Maxime Machenaud will captain the reigning French champions, taking the scrum half reins from Xavier Chauveau, while les Bleus front rowers Eddy Ben Arous and Camille Chat have been given the nod to start.
Benjamin Dambielle returns at out-half in place of All Black great Dan Carter, with Teddy Thomas and Etienne Dussarte also coming into a back-line that includes left winger Marc Andreu who scored two tries in the runaway 34-3 success at home to Leicester Tigers.
Ben Arous and back rowers Matthieu Voisin and So’otala Fa’aso’o are the only players retained up front, with all three lines altered. The latter pair are joined by the classy Yannick Nyanga, while Munster will need no reminding of the quality of Fijian lock Leone Nakarawa who starred during Glasgow Warriors’ 2015 GUINNESS PRO12 final win over the province in Belfast.
MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Jaco Taute, Rory Scannell, Ronan O’Mahony; Tyler Bleyendaal, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Donnacha Ryan, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Dave Kilcoyne, Thomas du Toit, Billy Holland, Jack O’Donoghue, Duncan Williams, Ian Keatley, Francis Saili.
RACING 92: Brice Dulin; Teddy Thomas, Henry Chavancy, Etienne Dussartre, Marc Andreu; Benjamin Dambielle, Maxime Machenaud (capt); Eddy Ben Arous, Camille Chat, Ben Tameifuna, Manuel Carizza, Leone Nakarawa, Yannick Nyanga, Matthieu Voisin, So’otala Fa’aso’o.
Replacements: Virgile Lacombe, Julien Brugnaut, Cedate Gomes Sa, Ali Williams, Chris Masoe, James Hart, Franck Pourteau, Albert Vulivuli.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Matthieu Liperini, Simone Boaretto (both Italy)
Television Match Official: Alan Falzone (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Munster to win: 1/25; Draw: 50/1; Racing 92 to win: 13/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Rassie Erasmus (Munster) – “Complacency is definitely not a problem. Leicester at home and away is a prime example of us not handling the intensity of a team doing its best to try and turn its season around. This weekend we will face Racing, who we beat solidly on that side but they smashed Leicester last weekend and they are trying to turn their season around and that’s a very dangerous team.
“They have individual brilliant players who can rip you apart. Even the Glasgow game at home, they could have scored four tries in the first 20 minutes which they didn’t and that would have presented a different situation for them.
“Our guys are definitely not complacent with what is at stake. If we win this game we can have a home quarter-final and repay the crowds who have been supporting us at home and away with a home quarter-final.
“So complacency is not a problem, it’s just about making sure that energy is channelled into playing well because I didn’t think in Glasgow we played well tactically. The intensity was right up there but tactically we weren’t at our best.”
Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92) – “In the first game in Paris, we were completely missing. It was a non-match on our part, we let Munster play. The whole group was disappointed with our performance, so it’s up to us to show another side of us in this return match.
“Okay, Munster are a good team, but we are able to do much better. And that’s what we’re going to try to show on Saturday.”
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)
Racing 92 – (Top 14 Championship): Lost 15-9 v Bordeaux-Bègles (away), Won 29-16 v Lyon (home), Won 28-14 v Toulouse (home), Lost 47-10 v Clermont Auvergne (away), Won 41-30 v Toulon (home), Lost 31-23 v Castres Olympique (away), Lost 25-16 v Brive (away), Won 29-22 v Stade Francais (home); (Champions Cup): Lost 27-17 v Leicester Tigers (away); (Top 14 Championship): Won 16-3 v Bayonne (away), Won 21-9 v Montpellier (home), Lost 26-17 v Pau (away), Won 29-24 v Grenoble (home), Drew 23-23 v La Rochelle (away); (Champions Cup): Lost 23-14 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Lost 23-7 v Glasgow Warriors (away); (Top 14 Championship): Won 23-10 v Castres Olympique (home), Lost 17-11 v Toulon (away); (Champions Cup): Lost 32-7 v Munster (home), Won 34-3 v Leicester Tigers (home)
Top Scorers – 2016/17 European Champions Cup: Munster – Points: Tyler Bleyendaal 66; Tries: Jaco Taute, Simon Zebo 3 each; Racing 92 – Points: Dan Carter 32; Tries: Juan Imhoff, Dan Carter, Xavier Chauveau, Marc Andreu 2 each
Previous European Meetings: 3
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
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
Racing 92 –
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
This website uses cookies.
Read More