Munster puts Bulls on notice with 'big bounce back' call
Munster has put the Bulls on notice ahead of their United Rugby Championship Round 14 face-off in Pretoria.
Munster defence coach Denis Leamy said they are determined to ‘bounce back’ after last week’s horror show in Durban.
Munster, after an ‘honest’ clear-the-air team session, has shifted focus to tackling a menacing Bulls team at Loftus Versfeld.
The group travelled to Cape Town from Durban on Sunday and will train at sea level this week before flying to Pretoria on Friday for Saturday’s clash.
Ireland internationals Craig Casey (he joined them in Durban already), Jeremy Loughman and Jack Crowley have all linked up with the 31-man squad.
The trio are taking part in training in Cape Town.
However, Skipper Tadhg Beirne is being rested for this trip to South Africa.
The Irish province, having won just four of their last 12 games in all competitions, including elimination from the pool stage of the Champions Cup for the first time in six years, suffered some of their worst defeats without their talisman and captain, Beirne.
They were 0-28 down after 19 minutes against Bath in their Champions Cup opener, a game they lost 14-40.
There was a 3-28 loss to Ulster in January, when they were outscored 22-0 in the second half, while last Saturday’s 0-45 defeat to the Sharks included the concession of three tries in the final three minutes, and the first time they’ve been held scoreless in a game since 2009.
Casey, Loughman and Crowley will be key, as they must lift the energy levels and belief in the build-up to the Highveld outing.
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“We have a big few days ahead of us, and we are looking forward to the challenge of facing the Bulls,” Leamy said.
“It is one of the toughest places in the world to play in.
“We have been here before and won here before. We will take belief from that.”
Their great ‘fondness’ for Cape Town means they often stay at the coast and fly out late on a Friday when they play at altitude.
It is a method that has worked for them in the past.
“The boys enjoy Cape Town, and it brings the best out of them.
“We are going to Pretoria with a game plan to execute, and hopefully we can do that.”
He admitted that one of the ‘great’ challenges of the game is winning in South Africa.
“We’ve had some great results here [in South Africa],” he said, including beating the Stormers in Cape Town in a URC Final.
“Yes, we’ve had some defeats, and we had a disappointing run [against the Sharks] last Saturday, but there is huge belief in the squad.
“We also have a huge amount of players with a lot of quality.
“It is a great challenge for us, and we look forward to it.”
Aside from the usual bumps and bruises after Saturday’s clash against the Sharks in Durban, none of the 31-man squad has been ruled out of contention for Saturday’s game in Pretoria.
The Munster team to face the Bulls will be named on Thursday afternoon.
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