HEC ¼ Final - Munster v Perpignan

[An Tarbh]

With this tie switched to Lansdowne Rd Munster should be able to count on close to 45000 fans to drive them on into the semi finals. In their way though lie a Perpignan team who seem to have rediscovered their away form which led them to the final in 2003 with impressive away wins against Llanelli and Leinster in the knock out stages.

Perpignan will travel without fly half Nicolas Laharrague who suffered a shoulder injury in the Top 14 clash with Bourgoin at the weekend. Munster are also sweating on the fitness of Denis Leamy who suffered ankle ligament damage in the Triple Crown victory at Twickenham and is rated 50-50

Home advantage should see Munster through but Perpignan are a side not to be taken lightly.

 

[DonBilly]

The loss of Nicolas Laharague is blow to Perpignan. He was elected the best player of the last Top14 round.

 

[An Tarbh]

So will Pez be likely to start or is Manny Edmonds still playing?

 

[brooksey101]

munster should win with there supports o gara controls the game and settles it down!

 

[DonBilly]

Originally posted by An Tarbh@Mar 28 2006, 08:02 PM
So will Pez be likely to start or is Manny Edmonds still playing?

Well Manny played last week-end in the match played in St Etienne vs. Bourgoin. He's fit.

 

[An Tarbh]

Grand I see he's been playing at full back but at out half he would appear to be more conservative than Laharrague, which might not prove that bad in a forwards orientated battle that would be expected tomorow at Lansdowne.

 

[DonBilly]

Nicolas Laharrague played very well versus Bourgoin, Man of the Match, but he's injured like the centre Grandclaude. Nicolas Laharrague will be replaced by Pez who does not perform as well as in the early season.

 

[An Tarbh]

Not sure whether it's an April Fools or not but there's an article by Charlie Mulqueen saying that O'Gara could miss out on this evening's game after he picked up a hamstring injury on Thursday. Guess we'll just have to play the waiting game on this one.

 

[An Tarbh]

Hamstring doesn't seem to be troubling him but Munster are really missing Murphy in this one, perhaps the only thing that'll see Munster through will be Perpignan's indiscipline, giving away penalties left right and centre.

 

[An Tarbh]

What a prospect now in the semi finals and an Irish team in the final to boot, great stuff, really has turned around for Irish rugby after a disastrous 2005 with Munster getting to the quater finals a high point. What a difference in the last 3 months.

 

[el_tk]

What an awful match to watch. Munster won't go far if they continue playing like that.

 

[An Tarbh]

They'll certainly need to up the ante big time for Leinster, if we put in a performance like we did at the RDS I can only see one winner but there's no doubts Munster will be well and truly smarting after that defeat.