A spine-tingling atmosphere is promised when a capacity Thomond Park crowd are treated to the Heineken Champions Cup Pool 2 decider between Munster and Exeter Chiefs. A record 18th quarter-final appearance is within reach for the hosts.
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP – POOL 2: Saturday, January 19
MUNSTER (1st) v EXETER CHIEFS (2nd), Thomond Park, 5.30pm (live Virgin Media One/Channel 4/RTÉ Radio 1/Limerick’s Live 95FM/highlights Virgin Media One)
Team News: Munster head coach Johann van Graan has made just one change to the team that defeated Gloucester as the province gear up to play Exeter Chiefs in their Heineken Champions Cup round 6 showdown at Thomond Park.
Tighthead prop John Ryan replaces Stephen Archer with captain Peter O’Mahony, who has been nursing a rib injury this week, named in the starting XV. Conor Murray will make his 50th Champions Cup appearance just over seven years since making his debut against Northampton Saints.
The much-anticipated Pool 2 match is completely sold-out with additional seating installed at both ends of the ground to boost the capacity of Thomond Park to 26,267. Exeter trail the pool leaders by four points, and a win or a draw would secure a record 18th European Cup quarter-final appearance for Munster.
Mike Haley continues at full-back with Andrew Conway and Keith Earls, two of the 11 Munster players named in Ireland’s Six Nations squad, on the wings. Chris Farrell and Rory Scannell continue as the province’s centre pairing with the half-back berths again filled by Murray and Joey Carbery, the pool stages’ leading scorer with 59 points.
Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell and the returning Ryan pack down together in the front row, the highly-rated second row partnership of Jean Kleyn and Tadhg Beirne gets another European outing, and O’Mahony, Tommy O’Donnell and CJ Stander make up the loose forwards trio.
Meanwhile, Exeter boss Rob Baxter has made one enforced change to the side that recorded a 34-12 bonus point win over Castres last Sunday. England prop Harry Williams starts at tighthead after Wales’ Tomas Francis was forced to withdraw through illness.
Australian international Greg Holmes is added to a replacements bench which includes Ulster natives Gareth Steenson, the Chiefs’ former captain, and Ian Whitten, the ex-Ireland international. Exeter enter the final round with a four-point gap to make up on this evening’s hosts.
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Joey Carbery, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Billy Holland, Arno Botha, Alby Mathewson, Tyler Bleyendaal, Dan Goggin.
EXETER CHIEFS: Jack Nowell; Santiago Cordero, Henry Slade, Ollie Devoto, Tom O’Flaherty; Joe Simmonds, Nic White; Alec Hepburn, Jack Yeandle (capt), Harry Williams, Dave Dennis, Jonny Hill, Sam Skinner, Don Armand, Matt Kvesic.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ben Moon, Greg Holmes, Mitch Lees, Sean Lonsdale, Jack Maunder, Gareth Steenson, Ian Whitten.
Referee: Jérome Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees: Ludovic Cayre, Jonathan Dufort (both France)
Television Match Official: Eric Briquet Campin (France)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Munster to win: 2/7; Draw: 30/1; Exeter Chiefs to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Jean Kleyn (Munster) – “It’s going to be a massive battle. There is a lot on the line for both teams. Obviously, we want to keep on our winning ways. It is going to be a real attritional battle. The game at Sandy Park was 80 minutes of hell and I expect this weekend to be the very same.
“It was real tough over in Sandy Park with the conditions, which probably didn’t help. The first-half we were playing against a really strong headwind so there were a lot of one-metre carries, a lot of really hard tackles and stuff.
“Exeter have a really strong pack but they carry hard and they defend hard as well. So it is going to be hard on the bodies and I expect a lot of boys will be coming in bruised on Monday morning. We are at a point in the competition where nobody can let anything slip, just because of the points margins as well.
“We pick up a bonus point and we end up one position higher than we would have, don’t pick up a bonus point and we are one position lower. So it is really at a point in the competition where no one can miss a step.”
Rob Baxter (Exeter Chiefs) – “The guys are fully aware that Munster will provide a huge challenge. At the same time, we’ve performed very well in our last two European fixtures and we know what we’ve focused on in our weekly prep and what has worked to enable us to play well in those games.
“Now, we just have to make sure we do the same things again over in Ireland. As we see it, this weekend’s game is effectively a last 16 knock-out game – and that’s not a bad position to be in when it comes to Europe. If you are amongst the top 16 sides in Europe, that’s a pretty good place to be.
“Yes, there have been frustrations with earlier parts of the competition, but now we’ve given ourselves a genuine shot of progressing in the competition. Listen, even if we had beaten Munster in the home game earlier in the season, there would still be only a one of two-point turnaround from where we are now.
“We would still have had to go to Munster this weekend and win a game of rugby. If you look at the table, wasn’t it always shaping up that this would be the pivotal game at the end? It certainly looked like that to me from the start of the season. I felt if we did okay, Munster did okay, then this would be the key game and that’s what has happened.”
Current Form – Munster – (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 38-0 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), Lost 25-10 v Glasgow Warriors (away), Won 49-13 v Ospreys (home), Lost 37-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), Won 64-7 v Ulster (home), Lost 30-22 v Leinster (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Drew 10-10 v Exeter Chiefs (away), Won 36-22 v Gloucester (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 25-24 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Won 30-26 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), Won 32-7 v Zebre (away), Won 44-14 v Edinburgh (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 30-5 v Castres Olympique (home), Lost 13-12 v Castres Olympique (away); (GUINNESS PRO14):Lost 19-12 v Ulster (away), Won 26-17 v Leinster (home), Won 31-24 v Connacht (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 41-15 v Gloucester (away)
Exeter Chiefs – (Gallagher Premiership): Won 40-6 v Leicester Tigers (home), Won 42-31 v Wasps (away), Won 35-18 v Sale Sharks (home), Won 24-17 v Newcastle Falcons (away), Won 28-11 v Worcester Warriors (home), Won 39-24 v Bath (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Drew 10-10 v Munster (home), Lost 29-25 v Castres Olympique (away); (Premiership Rugby Cup): Drew 22-22 v Newcastle Falcons (away), Won 25-18 v Bath (home), Won 29-13 v Harlequins (home); (Gallagher Premiership): Won 31-29 v Bristol Bears (away), Won 23-6 v Gloucester (home), Lost 28-26 v Harlequins (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Lost 27-19 v Gloucester (home), Won 29-17 v Gloucester (away); (Gallagher Premiership): Won 31-13 v Saracens (home), Lost 31-28 v Northampton Saints (away), Won 14-9 v Bristol Bears (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 34-12 v Castres Olympique (home)
Top Scorers – 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup: Munster – Points: Joey Carbery 59; Tries: Joey Carbery 3; Exeter Chiefs – Points: Gareth Steenson 33; Tries: Don Armand, Luke Cowan-Dickie 2 each
Previous European Meetings: 1
Saturday, October 13, 2018 – Pool 2 – Exeter Chiefs 10 Munster 10, Sandy Park
Match Facts –
– This will be the second meeting between Munster and Exeter Chiefs, following the 10-10 draw at Sandy Park in round 1 in October
– A win for Munster will guarantee them a place in the quarter-finals for the 18th time, however, if Exeter upset the odds and finish the pool level on match points with the 2006 and 2008 champions, then they will advance to the knockout stages on the basis of the head-to-head record
– Munster have won their last 11 home games in the tournament. Leicester Tigers’ 31-19 success in December 2015 was the province’s last European defeat at Thomond Park
– Exeter have lost all three of their games in Europe’s top flight in Ireland, against Leinster twice and Ulster once
– Tadhg Beirne (11) has won the most turnovers this season (level with Thomas Young of Wasps)
– Joey Carbery is the top points scorer this season with 59 points from three tries, 10 conversions and eight penalties
– Only Cheslin Kolbe (39) of Toulouse has beaten more defenders than the Exeter Chiefs duo of Santiago Cordero (34) and Jack Nowell (23)
European Cup Records:
Munster –
2017/18: Reached the semi-finals
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
Exeter Chiefs –
2017/18: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2016/17: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2015/16: Reached the quarter-finals
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
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