KEY FIGURE: Gavin Coombes of Munster breaks through the line despite the tackle of Nathan McBeth of Glasgow Warriors during the United Rugby Championship match between Munster and Glasgow Warriors at Musgrave Park. Pic: Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
Mike Prendergast channeled his inner Phil Collins this week when he described the change-up from league action to the Champions Cup as like “something in the air”.
Yet Munster will need to get down and dirty to see off Bayonne in Limerick on Saturday evening (5:30pm).
There is plenty about this opening Pool 3 fixture under the lights at Thomond Park to get the rugby juices flowing as European rugby returns for its 29th edition.
Munster get their quest for a third star on their jerseys underway as URC champions and top seeds in their pool and face tournament newcomers pitching up for their maiden outing in the continent’s premier club competition two seasons after promotion to France’s Top 14.
Yet do not be fooled that this is some sort of mismatch in any respect.
The Munster assistant is under no illusions that the injury-hit home side will have to keep its house in order to see off an intensely physical Bayonne side eager to exploit the maul difficulties exposed by Glasgow Warriors in Cork eight days ago.
Munster conceded five maul tries at Musgrave Park in what was nevertheless a 40-29 URC victory and also lost four players in the process in addition to the continuing absences of Joey Carbery, Jean Kleyn, Peter O’Mahony and RG Snyman.
Hooker and recent captain Diarmuid Barron, lock Edwin Edogbo, new tighthead prop Oli Jager and full-back Shane Daly have been added to the injury list since last Friday while back-three duo Simon Zebo and Pat Campbell failed to successfully negotiate their first weeks back training following injury.
The upshot is a side captained by Tadhg Beirne showing six changes from the line-up which started in Cork last Friday, including a European debut for academy wing Shay McCarthy.
McCarthy, just a month past his 21st birthday, is one of three academy players in Graham Rowntree’s matchday 23 with fly-half Tony Butler and back-three player Ben O’Connor named among the replacements.
Inside centre Rory Scannell, scrum-half Conor Murray, hooker Scott Buckley, tighthead John Ryan and lock Fineen Wycherley all come into the side, while Calvin Nash switches from his regular position on the wing for a first Munster start at full-back.
Tom Ahern, playing at blindside flanker, makes his first Champions Cup start and there is a tournament debut for summer signing Alex Nankivell, who moves from inside centre to replace Antoine Frisch, who drops out of the matchday 23.
The losses in the forwards are far from ideal given Bayonne’s pack prowess, much admired by Munster’s Francophile attack coach Prendergast.
“First and foremost a physical challenge. You look at them two years ago they were in Pro D2, they got up and didn’t just get up they made the top six in their first year. I know from my experience over there, when you get up it’s all about staying up and keeping your head above water but they had the ambition and the confidence to go and make top six in their first year and that’s really, really impressive.
“They’ve built a really nice culture down there and there’s big excitement around that club at the moment. What they’ve done in the last year or two and even into next year, knowing some individuals there, recruiting for next year, a lot of their ex-players who were in their academy and formed by the club, they’ve gone back after them and they’re building something there, very much so.
“They’re a challenge in terms of physicality, set-piece, half-backs that have a lot of experience and can run a game in Max Machenaud, whom I would have coached myself in Racing for a couple of years, and Cami Lopez, whether he’s on the pitch or not, he’s played every single game for them already. So straightway you’re up against a team that has physicality, a big set-piece, very controlling half-backs and a bit of X-factor outside of that.”
Lopez, along with former Wallabies centre Reece Hodge, is not among the Bayonne 23 but Machenaud is and Prendergast is looking for Munster to tighten up on Saturday evening.
“It’s the first time we’ve played each other in Europe, which brings its own bit of excitement and for us it’s back to Thomond Park, Champions Cup, 20,000 people or so, good excitement and coming off last weekend there’s a nice feelgood factor within the squad knowing that we’re on the road to finding our flow without being absolutely, fully there.
“I know we scored a few tries the other day but we would look at the stuff we didn’t take as well and there were still a couple of opportunities we left behind and we need to get better at that. And obviously stopping the opposition scoring tries. So there’s margin for improvement there and Bayonne will bring a huge challenge, especially physically.
“They’re 10th in the league but only four points off sixth, that’s only one game, so it shows that in a really competitive league they’re a good side and they’ll be tough to break down.”
For the more than 20,000 set to attend the first Champions Cup night of the season there will be the chance to honour recently retired wing duo Keith Earls and Andrew Conway, with the former Ireland internationals set to be introduced on the pitch at half-time.
MUNSTER: C Nash; S McCarthy, A Nankivell, R Scannell, S O’Brien; J Crowley, C Murray; J Loughman, S Buckley, J Ryan; F Wycherley, T Beirne – captain; T Ahern, J Hodnett, G Coombes.
Replacements: E Clarke, J Wycherley, S Archer, J O’Donoghue, A Kendellen, C Casey, T Butler, B O’Connor.
BAYONNE: C Tiberghien; B Pourailly, P Muscarditz, R Buliruarua, R Baget; T Dohagary, M Machenaud; M Perchaud, F Bosch, T Tatafu; D Marchois, K Mikautadze; P Huguet, B Heguy, R Bruni.
Replacements: T Acquier, S Cormenier, J Taqi, A Iturria, R Bordeau, G Aprasidze, A Erbinartegaray, T Spring.
Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng)
