Should Munster win in Treviso today, or at the very minimum pick up two bonus points, home advantage will be theirs come the second GUINNESS PRO12 semi-final on Saturday, May 20.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, April 29
BENETTON TREVISO (11th) v MUNSTER (2nd), Stadio di Monigo, 7.05pm local time/6.05pm Irish time (live Eurosport Italia/TG4 Player/www.tg4.ie)
Team News: Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has made ten changes for Munster’s return to GUINNESS PRO12 action as the province take on Benetton Treviso at Stadio di Monigo in the penultimate round of the Championship.
Six players from the British & Irish Cup-winning Munster ‘A’ squad are introduced to the side with Darren O’Shea and Conor Oliver in the starting XV and Kevin O’Byrne, Brian Scott, Rory Burke and Alex Wootton named on the bench. It is the first time Academy prop Burke has been included in a PRO12 matchday squad.
There is an all-new front row as James Cronin, Rhys Marshall and Stephen Archer combine as the starting trio, while lock O’Shea links up with Billy Holland in the second row.
Holland is the only player to retain his place in the pack and captains the province for the ninth time this season. Dave O’Callaghan, Oliver and Jack O’Donoghue make up the back row for this evening’s game which will be shown live on the TG4 website/TG4 Player.
The three changes in the back-line see Ronan O’Mahony, this season’s leading try scorer, and Darren Sweetnam cover the wings and Francis Saili joins Jaco Taute. It is as you were in the half-backs with Duncan Williams and Tyler Bleyendaal pairing up again.
Meanwhile, with Luke McLean and Tommaso Iannone both sidelined, David Odiete and Tommaso Benvenuti will start at full-back and outside centre respectively in the only two changes to the Benetton Treviso team that beat Edinburgh 21-6.
That result from two weeks ago will serve as a warning to Munster as Treviso were very impressive in how they went about their business, scoring a try in each half through Robert Barbieri and Angelo Esposito with former Leinster out-half Ian McKinley kicking 11 points.
Their unchanged pack is led by captain Dean Budd, who has chipped in with four tries during the current PRO12 campaign, and the back row of Francesco Minto, Braam Steyn and Barbieri, who could do some damage as an unit, have 84 Italy caps between them.
BENETTON TREVISO: David Odiete; Angelo Esposito, Tommaso Benvenuti, Alberto Sgarbi, Luca Sperandio; Ian McKinley, Edoardo Gori; Federico Zani, Luca Bigi, Simone Ferrari, Marco Fuser, Dean Budd (capt), Francesco Minto, Braam Steyn, Robert Barbieri.
Replacements: Davide Giazzon, Alberto Porolli, Tiziano Pasquali, Jean-Francois Montauriol, Marco Lazzaroni, Giorgio Bronzini, Tito Tebaldi, Andrea Pratichetti.
MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Darren Sweetnam, Francis Saili, Jaco Taute, Ronan O’Mahony; Tyler Bleyendaal, Duncan Williams; James Cronin, Rhys Marshall, Stephen Archer, Darren O’Shea, Billy Holland (capt), Dave O’Callaghan, Conor Oliver, Jack O’Donoghue.
Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, Brian Scott, Rory Burke, Donnacha Ryan, CJ Stander, Angus Lloyd, Ian Keatley, Alex Wootton.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Television Match Official: Neil Hennessy (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Benetton Treviso to win: 13/2; Draw: 25/1; Munster to win: 1/10
Pre-Match Quotes: Rassie Erasmus (Munster) – “We are coming into the crucial matches and ourselves and Leinster had an extra game with the Champions Cup final so that makes it slightly trickier when it comes to managing players and keeping them fresh.
“We have two games, then a weekend off and then a semi-final. We are heading to Treviso at a time when they have hit some excellent form, defeating some big sides like the Ospreys and Edinburgh and running other sides very close. Also, they have a lot of the Italian side that defeated the Springboks, and it’s only a few years since they defeated us (2013), so it will be a tough grind.
“We will rest and rotate a few guys this week which always takes some continuity out of the team so hopefully we will get over that quickly. Then we play Connacht who, as we all know, have been a real bogey team for Munster. It’s not going to be an easy run-in.
“It’s the first time I’ve come across a stat (no away team has ever won a PRO12 semi-final) like that in a competition, it’s unbelievable. Obviously we’ll do our very best to get it (home advantage) but the Scarlets will have other ideas. That said, our destiny is in our own hands and it’s up to us to get the result we need.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12: Benetton Treviso – Points: Tommaso Allan 66; Tries: Dean Budd 4; Munster – Points: Tyler Bleyendaal 117; Tries: Ronan O’Mahony 9
2016/17 TEAM FORM: Benetton Treviso – Played 20, Won 4, Lost 16, 19 Points; L 20-8 v Leinster (away), L 22-11 v Ulster (home), L 64-10 v Ospreys (away), W 27-11 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), L 22-6 v Scarlets (home), L 45-10 v Edinburgh (away), L 31-14 v Glasgow Warriors (away), L 34-28 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 46-3 v Munster (away), L 47-8 v Connacht (away), W 23-12 v Zebre (home), L 35-28 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 26-8 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), L 40-14 v Leinster (home), L 57-20 v Cardiff Blues (away), L 34-19 v Connacht (home), W 19-7 v Ulster (away), W 13-5 v Ospreys (home), L 51-5 v Scarlets (away), W 21-6 v Edinburgh (home); Munster – Played 20, Won 17, Lost 3, 76 Points; W 23-13 v Scarlets (away), L 24-23 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 20-16 v Newport Gwent Dragons (away), W 28-14 v Edinburgh (home), W 49-5 v Zebre (home), Played , L 25-14 v Leinster (away), W 15-14 v Ulster (away), W 33-0 v Ospreys (home), W 46-3 v Benetton Treviso (home), W 16-15 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 29-17 v Leinster (home), W 16-9 v Connacht (away), W 10-9 v Edinburgh (away), W 45-17 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), W 25-23 v Ospreys (away), L 30-21 v Scarlets (home), W 23-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 50-14 v Zebre (away), W 10-7 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 22-20 v Ulster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, March 22, 2014 – Munster 14 Benetton Treviso 3, Thomond Park
Friday, September 12, 2014 – Benetton Treviso 10 Munster 21, Stadio di Monigo
Saturday, April 25, 2015 – Munster 30 Benetton Treviso 19, Irish Independent Park
Saturday, September 5, 2015 – Munster 18 Benetton Treviso 13, Irish Independent Park
Sunday, February 28, 2016 – Benetton Treviso 13 Munster 16, Stadio di Monigo
Saturday, November 26, 2016 – Munster 46 Benetton Treviso 3, Thomond Park
MATCH FACTS:
– Benetton Treviso have won two of their last three matches in the GUINNESS PRO12, both at home to the Ospreys and Edinburgh in rounds 18 and 20 respectively
– The Italians have not won three successive home games in the Championship since 2013
– Benetton Treviso have lost all seven games they have played against Irish provinces this season
– Munster have lost only one of their last 14 matches in the PRO12: 30-21 at home to the Scarlets in round 16, while they have not lost an away game in the tournament since they faced Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in October
– The Munstermen have won their last 15 games against Italian opponents in all competitions
– Munster have won their last six clashes with Treviso in the PRO12 since the Italians’ 29-19 triumph at Stadio di Monigo in September 2013
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