GUINNESS PRO14 Preview: Ospreys v Munster

Munster have a proud record at the Liberty Stadium with four wins in their last five visits, but they cannot afford to rely on past form as the Conference A leaders face into two testing weekends in Wales, taking on the Ospreys in Swansea and the Scarlets in Llanelli.

GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, February 22

OSPREYS (4th, Con A) v MUNSTER (1st, Con A), Liberty Stadium, 7.35pm (live Premier Sports 1/eir Sport 2/TG4)

Team News: Second row Billy Holland captains the Munster team in Swansea with six changes to the side that secured a 43-0 bonus point win over the Isuzu Southern Kings at a sold-out Irish Independent Park last weekend.

Calvin Nash, who scored a try for Young Munster against UCD last Saturday, makes his first start of the season on the right wing with Dan Goggin and Jaco Taute coming in to form the centre partnership. Out-half JJ Hanrahan and front rowers Rhys Marshall and Stephen Archer are the other additions to the starting XV.

Mike Haley starts at full-back with Nash and Darren Sweetnam on the wings, while Neil Cronin, the scorer of Munster’s first try against the Kings, is joined by Hanrahan at half-back. Jeremy Loughman continues at loosehead prop with Holland and Jean Kleyn retained in the engine room and the back row is also unchanged.

In a welcome boost, Waterford native Jack O’Donoghue is named among the replacements and is set to make his first appearance since sustaining a knee injury last May. The bench also includes Ciaran Parker and Alby Mathewson, two of the five Munster players whose contract extensions were confirmed this week.

Meanwhile, Keelan Giles, Luke Price and Rob McCusker, who were all used as a replacements against Ulster last Friday, come into the Ospreys team as head coach Allen Clarke makes three personnel changes and one positional switch for their second game in a row against Irish opposition.

Giles replaces the benched Luke Morgan on the left wing with the 23-year-old Price taking the reins at out-half from the injured Sam Davies (groin). James King reverts to the second row where he partners Bradley Davies, with McCusker returning at number 8. Lloyd Ashley, who is listed on the bench, is the player to miss out.

Clarke’s charges are looking to bounce back from a disappointing performance in an 8-0 home defeat to the Ulstermen. They have seven players away with Wales this week, lock Giorgi Nemsadze is on duty with Georgia, and eight men are currently listed on the Welsh region’s injury list.

OSPREYS: Dan Evans; Hanno Dirksen, Cory Allen, Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler, Keelan Giles; Luke Price, Matthew Aubrey; Jordan Lay, Scott Baldwin, Tom Botha, James King, Bradley Davies, Olly Cracknell (capt), Sam Cross, Rob McCusker.

Replacements: Scott Otten, Rowan Jenkins, Ma’afu Fia, Lloyd Ashley, Will Griffiths, Reuben Morgan-Williams, James Hook, Luke Morgan.

MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Dan Goggin, Jaco Taute, Darren Sweetnam; JJ Hanrahan, Neil Cronin; Jeremy Loughman, Rhys Marshall, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland (capt), Fineen Wycherley, Chris Cloete, Arno Botha.

Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, Liam O’Connor, Ciaran Parker, Darren O’Shea, Jack O’Donoghue, Alby Mathewson, Bill Johnston, Rory Scannell.

Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Manuel Bottino (Italy)
Television Match Official: Ian Davies (Wales)

Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ospreys to win: 23/10; Draw: 17/1; Munster to win: 1/3

Pre-Match Quotes: Johann van Graan (Munster) –

It’s really interesting and it’s really tight. Every game matters and every point matters, especially in these conference games. We can only control our performance. Two tough weeks ahead in Wales, starting off with the Ospreys. It’s an away game for us that we want to attack.

“We’ve lost quite a lot of members to the national side (this week), very excited for a lot of guys who will get their opportunity this weekend so next man in and we’ve got to produce as a squad.

“The Ospreys have a really long kicking game, they work for field position and they’ve caught a few teams like that. We have to be very disciplined and proactive. They’re also desperate, as are we, every week we’re desperate to try and keep our place at the top of the conference.

“If you’re ill-disciplined or you kick badly or you counter-attack the wrong ball, they do punish you. They’ve got a good lineout, they’re very comfortable with ball-in-hand, to wait for the defence to make a mistake. We’ll start this week on zero and our work-rate, our discipline – it’s got to be really top notch to get an away win in Wales.”

Allen Clarke (Ospreys) –

Friday night’s game against Munster is important if we are to keep challenging for the play-off positions.  It’s obviously a massive test against the conference leaders but a test the boys are determined to embrace.

“There are six games to go in the regular season, and with various head-to-head games in the conference over the next couple of weeks, the importance of the next two matches is huge. Our goal is simply to still be fighting for the end of season knockouts when the internationals return for the last four games.”

Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Ospreys – Points: Sam Davies 124; Tries: Luke Morgan 7; Munster – Points: Joey Carbery 75; Tries: Keith Earls, Andrew Conway 5 each

2018/19 TEAM FORM: Ospreys – Played 15, Won 8, Lost 7, 38 Points;  W 17-13 v Edinburgh (home), W 46-14 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), L 49-13 v Munster (away), W 27-10 v Benetton Rugby (home), W 22-8 v Zebre (away), L 20-17 v Scarlets (away), W 22-17 v Connacht (home), L 29-20 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 52-7 v Leinster (away), W 43-0 v Zebre (home), W 19-12 v Scarlets (home), L 23-23 v Dragons (away), W 20-11 v Cardiff Blues (home), L 9-3 v Glasgow Warriors (away), L 8-0 v Ulster (home); Munster – Played 15, Won 11, Lost 4, 53 Points; W 38-0 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), L 25-10 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 49-13 v Ospreys (home), L 37-13 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 64-7 v Ulster (home), L 30-22 v Leinster (away), W 25-24 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 30-26 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), W 32-7 v Zebre (away), W 44-14 v Edinburgh (home), L 19-12 v Ulster (away), W 26-17 v Leinster (home), W 31-24 v Connacht (away), W 8-7 v Dragons (away), W 43-0 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home)

RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:

Friday, November 4, 2016 – Munster 33 Ospreys 0, Irish Independent Park
Saturday, February 18, 2017 – Ospreys 23 Munster 25, Liberty Stadium
Saturday, May 20, 2017 – Semi-Final – Munster 23 Ospreys 3, Thomond Park
Saturday, September 16, 2017 – Ospreys 16 Munster 21, Liberty Stadium
Saturday, December 2, 2017 – Munster 36 Ospreys 10, Irish Independent Park
Friday, September 14, 2018 – Munster 49 Ospreys 13, Irish Independent Park

MATCH FACTS:

– The Ospreys’ only victory in the last four rounds of the GUINNESS PRO14 was 20-11 over Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium on January 5

– The Welshmen were ‘nilled’ for the first time ever at home last weekend when Ulster visited Bridgend and won 8-0

– The Ospreys have lost only once at the Liberty Stadium in the PRO14 since November 2017: 29-20 to Glasgow Warriors in November

– Munster have won their last six matches in all competitions since Ulster beat them in Belfast in round 11 of the PRO14

– Munster’s record on their last nine visits to Wales is won six and lost three, with all three defeats coming against Cardiff Blues in the Welsh capital

– Munster have won their last six matches against the Ospreys since the Welshmen’s 21-17 victory in Cork in February 2016

– The Munstermen have won on four of their last five visits to the Liberty Stadium