The upcoming URC Rd 5 fixture presents Munster with a challenge as they head to South Africa to play against the Stormers, at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, on Saturday at 5pm. The match will be broadcast live on RTÉ 2. Munster has historically had to deal with unforeseen complications whenever they travel to South Africa, and this occasion is no different.
Issues stemming from Covid, unexpected flight postponements, and chaotic fixtures have previously heightened the difficulties that Munster face on their southern treks. Currently, their woes are compounded by a stubborn injury roster and an inconsistent form which has led to them being defeated in two out of four matches.
Recently, Craig Casey joined the injury roster after suffering an unidentified ‘knock’ this week. Diarmuid Barron, a hooker, is still undergoing the recovery process after suffering an injury against Leinster last weekend.
The repercussions of their embarrassing loss to Zebre still linger, and the rapid scoring by Leinster in the first 15 minutes of last weekend’s Croke Park showdown was a wake-up call. However, Graham Rowntree and his team can take comfort from the fact that they managed to stabilise the game after the distressing opening, despite falling to a 26-12 defeat in the end.
An added encouragement for Munster is their unbeaten track record against the Stormers, who have won just once in their last three games. An illustrative case is their 36-5 victory over Zebre, juxtaposed with a 37-24 defeat to Ospreys and a 38-7 loss to Edinburgh this season.
In May 2023, Munster triumphed over the Stormers in Cape Town with a slim 26-24 victory. They followed this up by winning the URC title in the same location a month later, defeating the Stormers 19-14 in the final.
In a conversation with his team, Rowntree will emphasise that they’ve consistently triumphed over South African teams in their previous nine URC matches, since the defeat in Johannesburg to the Lions in 2022. However, the pressure is clearly on the Stormers who need a win under their belt, and a victory against Munster would be a significant achievement.
Stormers’ head coach, John Dobson, publicly expressed his disappointment within the last week’s closing. He sees the upcoming home game as a chance for a strong comeback. He voiced that the next two matches, against 2023 victors, Munster, and previous year’s champions, Glasgow, are of importance. He stated that they’re under some strain and success in the next two matches is vital for their survival and position in the season.
Conversely, Munster’s attack coach, Mike Prendergast, mentioned their aim to focus on their own performance, rather than the potentially necessary actions of the Stormers. Although they recognise the Stormer’s numerous threats, their sole focus is on their own strategy and performance.
There have been five adjustments made in both teams. The return of injured players, Shane Daly and Billy Burns offers a welcome upliftment to an injury-ridden backline. Burns will be on standby, while Daly will head the team, with Conor Murray succeeding Casey as the scrumhalf.
The front row will see John Ryan and Stephen Archer exchange positions, along with Tom Ahern taking the field this week, post his recovery from injury during the Leinster’s match. The back row will also see Alex Kendellen, the Emerging Ireland’s captain, returning in place of John Hodnett and Gavin Coomes.
As for the Stormers, W Gelant, S Hartzenberg, R Nel, D du Plessis (the captain), L Zas, D Willemse, and P de Wet form the main team; whereas T Sithole, J Dweba, N Fouche, A Smith, JD Schickerling, M Theunissen, BJ Dixon, and K Morabe make up the rest of the team. The replacements include AH Venter, B Harris, S Sandi, R van Heerden, D Ewers, L Nel, H Jantjies, and J Matthee.
In Munster, the key players are M Haley, C Nash, T Farrell, A Nankivell, S Daly, J Crowley, C Murray, J Loughman, N Scannell, J Ryan, J Kleyn, T Beirne, who is the captain, T Ahern, A Kendellen, and J O’Donoghue. The substitutes include E Clarke, K Ryan, S Archer, F Wycherley, R Quinn, E Coughlan, B Burns, and S O’Brien. The referee for this game is M Adamson from Scotland.