Captain Peter O’Mahony says Munster will need to produce ‘our biggest performance of the season so far’ in order to lower the colours of Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield and progress to a prized 14th Heineken Champions Cup semi-final.
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER-FINAL: Saturday, March 30
EDINBURGH (1st, Pool 5) v MUNSTER (1st, Pool 2), BT Murrayfield, 12.45pm (live Virgin Media One/Channel 4/BT Sport 3/RTÉ 2fm/Limerick’s Live 95FM/highlights Virgin Media One)
Team News: Joey Carbery has been passed fit to start at out-half in Munster’s record 18th Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield on Saturday, with Jack O’Donoghue also featuring in the back row.
Following a week off after Ireland’s Six Nations campaign, Peter O’Mahony returns to captain the province as one of 11 changes to the side that defeated Zebre 31-12 last weekend. Carbery, who have recovered from a hamstring injury, is brought into the back-line along with Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Keith Earls and Conor Murray.
The six changes in the pack see Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell and John Ryan pack down in the front row with second rows Jean Kleyn and Tadhg Beirne also returning along with O’Mahony. It is the same starting XV from January’s final pool win over Exeter Chiefs, apart from the injured Tommy O’Donnell making way for Jack O’Donoghue.
Mike Haley, the scorer of the fifth and final try against Zebre, starts at full-back with Conway and Earls on either flank. Rory Scannell, who impressed in the second half against the Italians, is joined by Farrell in the centre with Carbery, the Champions Cup’s top scorer from the pool stages (68 points), and Murray combining at half-back.
Waterford youngster O’Donoghue makes his first Champions Cup start of the season in the back row having made his full return from a serious knee injury last week. The ever-reliable CJ Stander, who produced a man-of-the-match performance against Zebre, completes the line-up at number 8.
Johann van Graan’s men travel to Edinburgh from Shannon Airport today and will be arriving at Murrayfield at around 11am on matchday. They are bidding to reach the Champions Cup semi-finals for a third successive year, and will certainly need to deliver one of their best performances of the season with Edinburgh having won 17 of their last 19 home games in Europe.
With nearly 35,000 tickets sold for the Celtic derby in the Scottish capital, the match is fast approaching a UK record attendance for a Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final game. Edinburgh v Munster tickets can be purchased online here.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh and Scotland captain Stuart McInally returns to the Scottish club’s starting XV to play Munster. He is one of four changes to the side that overcame Leinster 28-11 in the PRO14 last weekend as fellow internationals Grant Gilchrist and Damien Hoyland start at lock and on the right wing respectively, while Chris Dean comes in at centre.
Edinburgh’s leading try scorer Duhan van der Merwe and Hoyland feature on the wings with former Scotland Sevens flyer Darcy Graham shifting to full-back. Dean slots back into midfield alongside James Johnstone with South African Jaco van der Walt, who accumulated 65 points during Edinburgh’s rise to the top of Pool 5, pairing up again with Henry Pyrgos at half-back.
The inclusion of McInally at hooker is the only alteration to an otherwise unchanged front row as the skipper packs down alongside WP Nel, a try scorer against Leinster, and Pierre Schoeman. Second row Gilchrist is one of three players in the squad who played in Edinburgh’s last quarter-final appearance against Toulouse in 2012.
An unchanged back row sees Scotland stars John Barclay and Hamish Watson continue at blindside and openside flanker respectively, with Munster eager to shut down the offloading and ball-carrying threat posed by Fijian international Bill Mata from number 8.
EDINBURGH: Darcy Graham; Damien Hoyland, James Johnstone, Chris Dean, Duhan van der Merwe; Jaco van der Walt, Henry Pyrgos; Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally (capt), WP Nel, Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist, John Barclay, Hamish Watson, Bill Mata.
Replacements: Ross Ford, Allan Dell, Simon Berghan, Magnus Bradbury, Jamie Ritchie, Charlie Shiel, Simon Hickey, Mark Bennett.
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), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Billy Holland, Arno Botha, Alby Mathewson, Tyler Bleyendaal, Dan Goggin.
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant Referees: Ludovic Cayre, Jonathan Dufort (both France)
Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (France)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Edinburgh to win: 11/8; Draw: 14/1; Munster to win: 4/6
Pre-Match Quotes: Rory Scannell (Munster) – “Edinburgh have improved massively under Richard Cockerill and that win over Leinster (last week) will fill them with confidence. They have made massive strides and we are under no illusions how tough it will be at Murrayfield.
“They have a great lineout and scrum, as well as some dangerous backs, so it should make for a great game. We’ve just fallen short in the last two years, but a lot of the squad have got experience now and we have the ambition to go one step further. The weekend is obviously a big challenge and we are not taking Saturday lightly, but that is the ambition.
“When I broke into the squad, we were going through a tough patch. It’s a big thing for the province reaching 18 quarter-finals and plenty of the lads in the squad have played in some of them. Europe is a massive occasion for Munster and we really enjoy playing in it.
“My first memory was probably Munster against Gloucester in 2003, when we needed four tries to qualify and from then I’ve followed them. Playing for Munster is a massive honour, but especially in this competition.”
Richard Cockerill (Edinburgh) – “We’re going to go full blown into the battle and take them on. We’re going to enjoy the contest and see if we’re good enough to do it. We’ll try and ‘out Munster’ Munster, as we’re two sides that play quite similar rugby.
“If we get it right we’ll beat them – we’ve got to front up in these big games. We’ll be well prepared, have a lot of belief in what we do and we’re coming here to win.”
Current Form – Edinburgh – (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 17-13 v Ospreys (away), Lost 30-29 v Ulster (away), Won 17-10 v Connacht (home), Lost 31-7 v Leinster (away), Won 31-30 v Benetton Rugby (home), Won 37-21 v Toyota Cheetahs (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Lost 21-15 v Montpellier (away), Won 40-14 v Toulon (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 34-16 v Zebre (away), Won 31-21 v Scarlets (home), Lost 18-12 v Dragons (away), Lost 44-14 v Munster (away); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 31-13 v Newcastle Falcons (home), Won 21-8 v Newcastle Falcons (away); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 23-7 v Glasgow Warriors (home), Won 16-8 v Glasgow Warriors (away), Won 38-0 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home); (Heineken Champions Cup): Won 28-17 v Toulon (away), Won 19-10 v Montpellier (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Lost 25-21 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), Won 34-17 v Dragons (home), Lost 19-17 v Cardiff Blues (home), Lost 18-10 v Benetton Rugby (away), Won 28-11 v Leinster (home)
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), Won 9-7 v Exeter Chiefs (home); (GUINNESS PRO14): Won 8-7 v Dragons (away), Won 43-0 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home), Won 19-13 v Ospreys (away), Lost 10-6 v Scarlets (away), Won 31-12 v Zebre (home)
Top Scorers – 2018/19 Heineken Champions Cup: Edinburgh – Points: Jaco van der Walt 65; Tries: Stuart McInally, Blair Kinghorn, Chris Dean, Darcy Graham, James Johnstone 2 each; Munster – Points: Joey Carbery 68; Tries: Joey Carbery 3
Previous European Meetings: 4
Sunday, January 19, 2014 – Pool 6 – Munster 38 Edinburgh 6, Thomond Park
Saturday, October 12, 2013 – Pool 6 – Edinburgh 29 Munster 23, BT Murrayfield
Sunday, January 13, 2013 – Pool 1 – Edinburgh 17 Munster 26, Murrayfield
Sunday, October 21, 2012 – Pool 1 – Munster 33 Edinburgh 0, Thomond Park
Match Facts –
– Munster have won three of their four games against Edinburgh in the tournament (L1), however, their one defeat came the last time Edinburgh hosted the fixture in round 1 of the 2013/14 season
– Edinburgh have won 17 of their last 19 home games in European competition (L2), although their two defeats in that run both came in quarter-finals, albeit of the Challenge Cup – against La Rochelle in 2017 and Cardiff Blues in 2018
– Munster have reached the Champions Cup knockout stages for a record 18th time, and they have progressed to the semi-finals in 13 of their previous 17 appearances
– With Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors both reaching the last-eight, two Scottish clubs have qualified for the knockout rounds in the same season for the first time
– Munster missed fewer tackles (107) than any other side in the pool stages this season, resulting in a competition-high tackle rate of 89%
– Munster’s Tadhg Beirne won the most turnovers (13) during the pool stages, a category he topped while with the Scarlets last season
– Bill Mata (115), an EPCR European Player of the Year nominee, was the only player to make 100-plus carries in the pool stages this season, and he also made more metres (394) than any other forward
– Munster’s Joey Carbery, another European Player of the Year contender, was the top points scorer after the opening six rounds with 68 points thanks to three tries, 10 conversions and 11 penalty goals
European Cup Records:
Edinburgh –
2013/14: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2012/13: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2011/12: Reached the semi-finals
2010/11: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
2009/10: Failed to qualify from Pool 4
2008/09: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2007/08: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2006/07: Failed to qualify from Pool 2
2005/06: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
2004/05: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2003/04: Reached the quarter-finals
2002/03: Failed to qualify from Pool 5
2001/02: Failed to qualify from Pool 3
2000/01: Failed to qualify from Pool 1
1999/00: Failed to qualify from Pool 6
1998/99: Failed to qualify from Pool C
1996/97: Failed to qualify from Pool A
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