Munster itching to bounce back against powerful Leinster

The tears in the Munster camp have dried after their dramatic exit from the Champions Cup last weekend and indications are that the men from Limerick are ready to roll up their sleeves and busy themselves at the Aviva against the might of Leinster in the URC. 

Munster boss Johann van Graan gave his troops a couple extra days off to recover from the gruelling Toulouse loss but is adamant that they are now ready for action again and will approach the next challenge with gusto. 

“In terms of morale and momentum we're in a good place,” Van Graan said, speaking to independent.ie. 

“We felt we played really well against Toulouse, it was an excellent game of rugby and we had opportunities to win it in 80, to win it in the 100. Some opportunities we used, and some we didn't. 

“We got knocked out by virtue of a kick. Morale and momentum is certainly on a very positive side in terms of us as a club. 

“In terms of the game at the weekend, it's the last round of the league, and it's big for all teams. What's at stake for us is if we can get enough points out of the weekend and get a home quarter-final at Thomond Park, it's something we targeted at the start of the season. It's something we'd like to do, but we have to go to Dublin and do it, which is no easy task.” 

Leinster have indicated that they will be resting some of their top players against Munster so as to keep them fresh for further duty in the Champions Cup, but van Graan has indicated that Munster will approach the fixture against their arch rivals as they normally would. 

“I can't speak on their behalf, all I will say is they aren't URC champions for nothing,” Van Graan said. 

“It's Munster versus Leinster in the Aviva, so we expect a massive game and it'll be a tightly contested encounter. 

"You've just got to look at the performances (in South Africa), they were over the try line in the game against the Sharks in Durban, and they came up just short against the Stormers in Cape Town. 

“Whatever team they select will be a tough game for us. We're playing away at the Aviva on Saturday. 

"We've got to focus only on this game. 

“We've got a week off next week so we're going to put out our best available side. We've got to go to Dublin and play against the current champions in the URC. 

"We obviously want to play at Thomond Park for the quarter-final, so we've got to go and make sure we perform and hopefully get the points to put ourselves in that position. 

"In terms of the other teams, if you don't get the points, you might have to go to Belfast or you might have to go to Cape Town or Durban or Pretoria. You'd much rather stay in Limerick so what a good weekend for the URC to look forward to."