Ulster need a repeat of last week’s bonus point win over Glasgow Warriors to give themselves a shot at squeezing into the GUINNESS PRO14 play-offs at the expense of Edinburgh. Munster rarely lose at home, though, and they will be itching to bounce back to winning ways following their Champions Cup semi-final exit.
GUINNESS PRO14: Saturday, April 28
MUNSTER (2nd, Con A) v ULSTER (4th, Con B), Thomond Park, 5.35pm (live TG4/BBC 2 Northern Ireland/Sky Sports Action)
Team News: Mike Sherry and James Cronin will both earn their 100th Munster caps in this evening’s inteprovincial derby in Limerick, with hooker Sherry captaining his native province for the first time since February 2013.
Stephen Fitzgerald makes his second start of the season at full-back, with Ireland international Darren Sweetnam and Academy winger Calvin Nash stationed on the wings. Young Player of the Year Sam Arnold keeps his place in the side and is joined in midfield by Dan Goggin.
Fit-again scrum half Duncan Williams returns to the starting XV having made a speedy recovery after undergoing surgery for facial injuries sustained in training. JJ Hanrahan, who was a second half replacement during last Sunday’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat in Bordeaux, gets the nod at number 10.
Sherry and Cronin are joined in the front row by Brian Scott with Gerbrandt Grobler and Darren O’Shea, who was a try scorer for Cork Constitution in last Saturday’s Ulster Bank Bateman Cup final loss to Lansdowne, in the engine room. Dave O’Callaghan, Conor Oliver and Robin Copeland make up the back row.
Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman and Stephen Archer provide the front row cover with Player of the Year nominee Jean Kleyn and Jack O’Donoghue completing the forward replacements. James Hart, Bill Johnston and Academy centre Shane Daly, an Ireland Sevens international, are the reserve backs with Daly in line to make his senior debut for Munster.
Meanwhile, Jono Gibbes’ Ulster need to register a bonus point win at Thomond Park, while also hoping that Edinburgh fail to pick up any points from their game against Glasgow Warriors, in order to earn a PRO14 semi-final qualifier place next weekend.
Rory Best returns to the captain the Ulstermen from hooker and he will be joined in the front row by Callum Black and Ross Kane. Iain Henderson is back in the second row alongside Alan O’Connor after missing last weekend’s bonus point victory over Glasgow at Kingspan Stadium.
An injury to Jean Deysel means Clive Ross will wear the number 6 jersey, slotting into a back row that is completed by Sean Reidy and Nick Timoney, who bagged a brace of tries last time out against the Warriors.
Ulster will miss the influence of PRO14 top scorer John Cooney, who is unavailable due to concussion, so David Shanahan comes in at scrum half with fellow former Ireland Under-20 international Johnny McPhillips continuing in the out-half role.
Stuart McCloskey, who was the man-of-the-match in last Saturday’s four-try success, is once again partnered in midfield by Luke Marshall. Charles Piutau is unavailable for family reasons, so Louis Ludik occupies the full-back berth, while Jacob Stockdale and Craig Gilroy start on the wings.
Retiring duo Paul Marshall and Tommy Bowe are named on the bench along with Ireland Under-20 starlet Angus Curtis, who will be hoping for more game-time after making his debut last weekend. Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell and Chris Henry are the forward replacements.
MUNSTER: Stephen Fitzgerald; Calvin Nash, Sam Arnold, Dan Goggin, Darren Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, Duncan Williams; James Cronin, Mike Sherry (capt), Brian Scott; Gerbrandt Grobler, Darren O’Shea, Dave O’Callaghan, Conor Oliver, Robin Copeland.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Jack O’Donoghue, James Hart, Bill Johnston, Shane Daly.
ULSTER: Louis Ludik; Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Johnny McPhillips, David Shanahan; Callum Black, Rory Best (capt), Ross Kane, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Chris Henry, Paul Marshall, Angus Curtis, Tommy Bowe.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Aled Evans, Simon Rees (both Wales)
Television Match Official: Sean Brickell (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Munster to win: 11/10; Draw: 14/1; Ulster to win: 8/11
Pre-Match Quotes: Stephen Fitzgerald (Munster) – “Opportunities have been a bit limited playing there (at full-back) but obviously when I do get the chance I need to take it with both hands and make the most of it. After the disappointment of last week, all the squad want to do is to bounce back and there’s no better way to do it than with an interpro, especially against Ulster.
“I’ve been knocking on the door but I seem to be getting a few opportunities now and I know with Zeebs (Simon Zebo) leaving and I know Mike (Haley) is coming in, but all I can do is just keep playing as well as I can and then every time Johann (van Graan) gives you the chance, I take it.
“I do want to be the starting full-back for Munster and I have no problem saying that. That is my goal and ambition for the next few years and hopefully that happens. Keith Earls is a great help. It might be the small things out on the pitch, the way I’m closing or the way I’m coming on to the ball or stepping and stuff like that, the small things that he’s been incredible helping me with.
“And any time somebody like him wants to give me advice I’d take it with open arms. Over the past two years he’s changed what he’s done himself but I think he’s one of the best players in the world, and I’m not just saying it because he’s from Munster I love watching him play. Every time he gets the ball he looks like he can make something happen and that’s what I want.”
Jono Gibbes (Ulster) – “It’s just good to be alive in the last game, to be honest. We have that, we had no margin of error and we managed to fight and scratch our way through and get ourselves in a position to put pressure on Edinburgh.
“Anyone who’s ever been down there and played a Munster team down there at Thomond, you certainly do not go down there with a mindset of getting four tries against them easily at all. They’re a formidable opponent, a proud team down there and whoever pulls on that red jersey down there… it’s a big challenge for us. You know, we had to regroup a little after last Saturday (against Glasgow), get a bit of energy back and save it up because it will be ferocious for sure on Saturday.
“Our attack has become a little more potent, we are holding onto the ball a little bit more. I think the Ospreys game was a missed opportunity whereas we were able to work around the edges (against Glasgow) and to get more tries against that opposition is pleasing.
“I think the one thing throughout those three games, our bench has been good. They have come on and helped out a lot. There has been a good energy about the thing, they’ve tried really hard and putting massive effort into things for each other.
“It is not perfect, but for me it’s satisfying to watch that hard work for each other, to enjoy working hard and celebrating their victories. They are satisfied, because they know what went into it.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Munster – Points: Ian Keatley 98; Tries: Alex Wootton 8; Ulster – Points: John Cooney 160; Tries: Craig Gilroy 8
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Munster – Played 20, Won 13, Lost 7, 67 Points; W 34-3 v Benetton Rugby (home), W 51-18 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 21-16 v Ospreys (away), L 37-10 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 39-16 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 23-17 v Leinster (away), L 20-16 v Connacht (away), W 49-6 v Dragons (home), W 36-19 v Zebre (away), W 36-10 v Ospreys (home), L 34-24 v Leinster (home), L 24-17 v Ulster (away), W 39-13 v Connacht (home), W 33-5 v Zebre (home), L 25-18 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 21-10 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 12-6 v Edinburgh (away), W 19-7 v Scarlets (home), W 39-22 v Southern Kings (away), W 19-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (away); Ulster – Played 20, Won 12, Drawn 1, Lost 7, 60 Points; W 42-19 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 21-14 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 27-20 v Scarlets (home), W 52-25 v Dragons (home), L 27-23 v Zebre (away), W 16-8 v Connacht (home), L 25-10 v Leinster (home), W 43-36 v Southern Kings (away), W 23-22 v Benetton Rugby (home), D 32-32 v Dragons (away), L 44-16 v Connacht (away), W 24-17 v Munster (home), L 38-7 v Leinster (away), W 59-10 v Southern Kings (home), L 17-16 v Edinburgh (home), L 34-10 v Scarlets (away), L 35-17 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 32-20 v Edinburgh (away), W 8-0 v Ospreys (home), W 36-15 v Glasgow Warriors (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, May 9, 2015 – Ulster 23 Munster 23, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, October 30, 2015 – Munster 32 Ulster 28, Thomond Park
Saturday, January 2, 2016 – Ulster 7 Munster 9, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, October 28, 2016 – Ulster 14 Munster 15, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, April 15, 2017 – Munster 22 Ulster 20, Thomond Park
Monday, January 1, 2018 – Ulster 24 Munster 17, Kingspan Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Munster have won their last three matches in the GUINNESS PRO14 but have not managed four wins in succession this season
– The Munstermen’s only home defeat in any competition since February 2017 was 34-24 to Leinster at Thomond Park on December 26
– Ulster have won their last three matches in the PRO14 but have not won four in-a-row since the opening four games of this campaign
– The Ulstermen have won just three times on the road in the Championship this season, in Treviso in round 2, Port Elizabeth in round 8 and in Edinburgh in round 19
– Ulster beat Munster in Belfast in round 12 and have not achieved a season’s double over them since the 2013/14 season
– Ulster’s only win at Thomond Park in the Championship since 2009 was in May 2014
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