Fort Loftus: Munster's masterplan for Bulls
Who will be on the right side of key moments at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday?
This, in a nutshell, is the message of Munster coach Clayton McMillan, ahead of their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal face-off with the Bulls.
The Bulls and Munster have played each other five times in the URC, with the head-to-head standing at three Bulls victories and two for Munster.
Three years ago, Munster finished fifth on the table and went on to win the URC.
It is a feat they would be keen to repeat.
The Munster coach, McMillan, made it clear that in the play-offs, you need only to beat the opposition, even if it is by one point.
“There is an excitement coming into finals [play-off] week,” McMillan said, adding: “We had good training sessions last week and this week.
“We got a lot out of those three [training] days, and we can go there [Pretoria] and just fine-tune.”
The Irish province’s last visit to Fort Loftus, the Bulls sneaked a three-point (34-31) victory, giving Munster hope of an upset.
“It was a game we walked away from, knowing that if we were slightly better, we may have been in a position to win it.
“It won’t be easy going over there, but it is a place the team enjoyed visiting,” he said of a 27-22 win in Pretoria back in April 2024.
“All you can do is prepare to the best of your ability, and then it will come down to a few key moments over the weekend.
“As long as we are on the right side of those moments, we will give ourselves a good chance.”
(WATCH as Munster coach Clayton McMillan discusses his team’s prospects ahead of a URC quarterfinal trip to Loftus Versfeld and a face-off with the Bulls……)
He admitted the ‘altitude factor’ (Loftus is 1,350 meters above sea level) is a challenge they will have to deal with in their encounter with a “quality” Bulls team.
“We are under no illusion as to the quality of the opposition,” the coach said, adding: “They are big, physical men, who want to impose that physicality on you through their set pieces, their carries, their cleans [at the breakdown] and the way they defend.
“The last time we played them, those battles were probably shared, but they cut us to shreds with a bit of X-factor and speed in broken play.
“That is a reminder for us that we need to be tighter and connected [on defence], and we also can’t afford to switch off.
“These finals games can be won or lost on those moments. They will get a few, and we will get a couple, and we want to be on the right side of those.”
Having to play all their play-off matches away from home, unless an extraordinary set of results conspires to benefit them, they are still confident that they can again go all the way as they did in 2023, when they beat the Stormers 19-14 in the Final in Cape Town.
“You work hard all year to give yourselves an opportunity in the play-offs,” the coach said.
“It comes down to one game.
“We have prepared very well, and we go over there with some genuine excitement.
“Not too many people are giving us a chance.
“It’s like a free pass for us, with the pressure on them.
“We will go over there and throw the kitchen sink and see how it goes.”
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* Picture credit: @INPHO
