Munster Team Talk Thread - New season title pending....

cuttingtimber22

https://twitter.com/thepaulwilliams/status/1661845959716773888?s=46&t=Cs26Mut9CR7ynUwJtAVa_Q

Nice

ersatz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120641453#Comment_120641453

Great to have Munster back in a final. Rugby is diminished without them being at the business end of things.

cuttingtimber22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120641587#Comment_120641587

Indeed, and many a bar and restaurant owner has done very well out of Munster games particularly in France.

French mayors contacting the ERC pitching to have semis in their towns when Munster were involved, not to mention those great Cardiff days which are lifetime highs.

There may be 5000 travelling this weekend to Cape Town but it feels there are 10000 more who will want to go to the next one.

phog

Our last home match was a month ago, 25th march v Glasgow, since then Munster have been to SA (2 pool games), Glasgow for the QF, Dublin for the S/F and now SA for the final. Aside from fans following the team that's some travelling by the squad.

Jump_In_Jack

I think the change in playing style has reawakened the belief that Munster could be close to a return to competing for cups regularly. I know a few people that wouldn’t watch Munster at all the past few years, too slow, predictable and downright boring, not to mention not competitive enough either.

This season however, since they started gelling within the new style, I think this is exactly what a lot of dormant Munster fans had been waiting for these past few years.

Stormers:

• 15. Damian Willemse
• 14. Angelo Davids
• 13. Ruhan Nel
• 12. Dan du Plessis
• 11. Leolin Zas
• 10. Manie Libbok
• 9. Herschel Jantjies
• 1. Steven Kitshoff (captain)
• 2. Joseph Dweba
• 3. Frans Malherbe
• 4. Ruben van Heerden
• 5. Marvin Orie
• 6. Deon Fourie
• 7. Hacjivah Dayimani
• 8. Evan Roos

Replacements: 

• 16. JJ Kotze
• 17. Ali Vermaak
• 18. Neethling Fouche
• 19. Ben-Jason Dixon
• 20. Willie Engelbrecht
• 21. Marcel Theunissen
• 22. Paul de Wet
• 23. Clayton Blommetjies

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.munsterrugby.ie/preview/team-named-munster-side-to-face-stormers-in-urc-grand-final/

Team named

Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Malakai Fekitoa, Shane Daly; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Josh Wycherley, Roman Salanoa, RG Snyman, Alex Kendellen, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Keith Earls.

RichieRich_89

I think a fairly convincing Munster win is quite likely. I can see them getting momentum in attack and stifling the Stormers phase attack with their defence. I think to win it might take the Stormers magicking three or four tries out of nothing - which they are pretty good at albeit.

Brief_Lives

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120642631#Comment_120642631

anyway, on to the match thread./.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120642569#Comment_120642569

I thought with a 5-3 split on the bench that Kendellen would lose out, very happy to see himself and Earls get into the 23, I thought one of them could lose out. Odd that RGS is on the bench rather than starting. Great to see that the coaches have a reasonably full deck to choose from and that they seem to have put some thought into every selection for matches where they had choices to pick from.

I've no idea how this game will go but to begin with I'm happy with the 23.

cuttingtimber22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120642774#Comment_120642774

It is a 23 to play the 80 minutes. A Smart Selection on paper. Glad to see Earls in. I thought they may go 6 - 2 but this might work.

Dubinusa

Good luck Munster!!!

50HX

I think that's a good split on the bench, stormers would have been expecting a 6-2 split like most of us I think

Tough one to call, if Libbok has a kicking mare of a game we could go well

Home team usually wins these but the last month + on the road will really stand to us, munster by 3

COME ON MUNSTER

50HX

https://twitter.com/i/status/1662062299455037442

so we haven't a hope🤔

Neil3030

Can't knock them for being confident.

But the bookies also had Leinster at -7 a fortnight ago 😎

phog

Home finalist, current champions you'd have to think Stormers are in it to win, Munster with all the form coming in to it must have doubts about being able to beat a team like Stormers, will the win over Leinster give them more confidence, hopefully.

Whatever happens tomorrow the season has been a success but equally, whatever happens tomorrow we need to see progress again next season.

kuang1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120644810#Comment_120644810

Sorry to be so semantic fog... But that's like you're auditioning to take Quinlan's job as a pundit!

"you'd have to think stormers are in it to win"... As opposed to... What?

"Munster with all the form must have doubts"... So good form causes doubts in a teams confidence?

"About beating a team like the stormers"... That we beat literally 6 weeks ago on their home patch?

I know you're excited about the game, as am I. But I couldn't let that go uncalled. (sorry 😊)

It should be a cracker. I'm even entertaining the notion of extra time for this one.

Win or lose, Crowley to prove himself again to be the future 10 for us, Nash to become the bolter for the WC squad, POM to be POM, Beirne to turnover minimum 3 times, Frisch to cement his future at centre, and Snyman to continue to be a freak (esp at one handed ball control).

Oh and Kleyn to justify his player of the year award.

Akrasia

The players are absolutely focused on getting this win. Access Munster shows how much this means to them. They're not in 'bonus territory'. They're there to win.

They're going to put absolutely everything out there today. If they win, it will mark the end of an amazing season. If they lose, it means they were not good enough and have to get better for next year

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646061#Comment_120646061

It's phog!

Quinny is paid to have people like you listen to him and moan about his punditry. I don't listen to OTB or Newstalk so generally miss out on his commentary.

Munster have seen their season end as losing finalists in so many seasons to have some doubt about heading to a final in SA in front of 50k opposition fans. Then there's the pitch that is probably more common to an AIL game than to a URC final. Then there is also the fact that we're playing the current champions.

I'm not a betting man so maybe I'm missing that the bookies have made us favourites but it's only a few weeks ago we were in doubt about making the knock out games and few if any pundits could see us making a final.

Look, we're here now and anything can happen. I'd have faith in the coaches after how they had us play the QF & SF to spot plays that suit us or areas we need to be tighter at and we have close to a full squad to pick from so there are positives.

Prediction - haven't a clue, win and I'll be delighted. Lose, I'll be disappointed but overall happy with our season despite some lows like the beginning of the season, our start v Ulster in TP and our game v Glasgow in TP though to dig out a TBP from that game showed some fight back and of course how we were knocked out of the ERC

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646953#Comment_120646953

It hasnt even been finals for the most part. its been semis bar 2/3 finals since last won something. Handicap has Stormers by 6 which is more than fair

Neil3030

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646953#Comment_120646953

Please start all your posts from now on with "It's phog!"

jcon1913

A few hometown decisions there - penalising Crowley at 49 minutes- ridiculous.

missed a shoulder to the head on OMahony in the disallowed Haley try.

“Double movement” by Coombes in another disallowed try when all he did was stretch out when tackled.

not a great performance by the ref so far.

Dubinusa

Congratulations Munster. Well deserved and earned! Delighted for the team and the supporters.

mr_edge_to_you

Congrats to all the Munster supporters, players and team! Absolutely fantastic for the province.

The URC has become a fantastic competition in recent years. Munster winning this is massive. It is a very competitive competition and far stronger than the old Celtic League, Pro14 ever were.

And Munster earned this. Those last few rounds of the regular league in SA were seriously tough, and they delivered. On the road against Glasgow, losing key players during the match. Then going to the Aviva with walking wounded and putting Leinster back into their box. And having to go to SA, to play a final in front of 50,000 Stomers supporters. That's phenomenal

On a personal note, we are a Leinster family and my little lad (8) is a big rugby fan. We had the pleasure of meeting Peter O Mahony after a Leinster/Munster game last year and he was super - left a lifelong impression on my son. It is fantastic to see him lift a trophy, and thoroughly deserved! I was telling my son this evening that he wasn't even born the last time Munster won a trophy.

Well done!

phog

Probably no surprise but RGS has been called up the pre RWC squad for SA.

Great to see him from his horrific injury and now a URC champion.

Delighted for Fekitoa too, the start of the season was tough on him but god once Munster got motoring he was one of the first names on the team sheet.

2smiggy

Pity Fekitoa only really started to show what he can do once he knew he was leaving. Probably wasn't happy, but has cut loose since

Jump_In_Jack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648552#Comment_120648552

Interestingly he will be playing for Tonga against Ireland at the World Cup. They could be a surprise package.

Lost Ormond

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120648599#Comment_120648599

Cant see them getting any more than 1 win. wont beat us, south africa, or scotland.

jcon1913

Hodnett what a warrior.

Great to see Earls getting a run out and playing his part. Delighted to see him winning in a red shirt

You could see what it meant to the players.

phog

The home coming is an all ticket event at 7 tomorrow evening at Thomond Park