Trevor Murphy will be following Munster's progress for HoR2 throughout the 2012/13 campaign...here he has a look at their Heineken Cup pool.
Munster were seeded in Tier 1 of the draw for the pool stages and here are their opposition:
Edinburgh Rugby – We have seen in recent times Edinburgh are capable of putting in huge performances and are quite dogged when they need to be. They will be tough to beat and will fancy their chances against every team in the group. Their back row has some real power to it with Denton, Grant and Talei. Talei especially getting three man of the match awards last year in the Heineken Cup group stages. Denton is still developing and Grant work rate is quite high.
Racing Metro 92 – Where do you start with French rugby in the ERC Heineken Cup? There is no doubting the quality in the squads involved but their focus and desire is sometimes sadly lacking. You could be looking at group winners here if they put in 100%. With the likes of Vuli Vuli and Bobo in the back line you have 2 guys 100kg and above, who, if allowed to break the gain line will take the proverbial mile. As is the way with French teams we can expect them to exert real pressure through their pack in the tight and the loose. The danger with this team comes from all angles but may not be evident depending on their progress through the Top 14.
Saracens – Saracens have proven to be a very difficult side to beat in the season just gone. While they lost five games in the Aviva Premiership regular season, they scored a losing bonus point in four of those games. They are very rarely well beaten. Their try scored – conceded differential, +5, is a lot smaller than the two teams that finished above them in the league (Harlequins +20, Leicester +25) but they are what you would call an efficient team, taking their kicks when on offer hence their respectable point total despite the relatively low number of tries scored. Any point taken against Sarries will be hard fought!
Munster – To my mind this group is the proverbial group of death. I do not see a second place qualifier from this group so it is critical to win the group. Each team will take points off the others so even the group winners may find themselves seeded quite low for the knockout stages. Munster have a tough year ahead with injury retirements and changes in the coaching staff. We absolutely have to bring through more players to the senior side in the coming season. Our new coach has a great track record in young player development so I am hopeful that the transition period will be both quick and smooth. The Munster faithful will be needed by their team as never before in the coming season. The crowd has always fed off the team and vice versa but the need is greater from our team this year.
I’m Trevor, 39. A passionate Munster and Irish Rugby Fan. A champion of the underdog. I have strong opinions on this beautiful game of ours. Always analysing tactics and phases of play. I believe in the old saying “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the about size of the fight in the dog”. Stand up and fight!
© JL Pagano 2012
