Champions Cup Pool 4: Munster v Leicester Tigers, 12 December

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Munster Rugby v Leicester Tigers
Saturday 12 December 2015
KO: 19:45
Thomond Park, Limerick

Live on BT Sport / beIN Sports

Referee Romain Poite (France)
Touch Judge 1 Tual Trainini (France)
Touch Judge 2 Laurent Breil (France)
Fourth Official Ken Imbusch (Ireland)
TMO Gilles Cogne (France)

A. Head to Head

4 Played 4
2 Wins 2
2 Losses 2
0 Draws 0
56 Points 54

B. Recent Form

27 August 2010
Munster 13-17 Leicester

20 January 2007
Munster 6 - 13 Leicester

22 Oct 2006
Leicester 19 - 21 Munster  

13 April 2003
Leicester 7 - 20 Munster

25 May 2002
Leicester 15 - 9 Munster

C. Teams
Munster Rugby

15 Andrew Conway, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Francis Saili, 12 Denis Hurley, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 1 James Cronin, 2 Niall Scannell, 3 BJ Botha, 4 Dave Foley, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 6 Robin Copeland, 7 Dave O'Callaghan, 8 CJ Stander (c).

Replacements: Mike Sherry, Dave Kilcoyne, John Ryan, Mark Chisholm, Jack O'Donoghue, Tomás O'Leary, Tyler Bleyendaal, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.

Leicester Tigers

15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Matt Smith, 12 Seremaia Bai, 11 Vereniki Goneva, 10 Owen Williams, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Marcos Ayerza, 2 Tom Youngs, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Graham Kitchener, 5 Mike Fitzgerald, 6 Ed Slater (c), 7 Brendon O'Connor, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey.

Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Dom Barrow, 20 Tom Croft, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Tommy Bell, 23 Gonzalo Camacho.

Well last season we could only play ten man rugby, this season we've changed game plan completely. It's taken some time to bed in and the usual set piece power hasn't quite clicked yet. The attacking play blows hot and cold and similarly the defence is ether out of this world or like a sieve. As games go by it's improving and given how attractive the rugby we're trying to play is all the fans are behind the coaches for once.

Just not sure it's all coming together in time for Thomond Park on a wintery night.

Well if history is anything to go by, the Tigers will raise their game for Munster.

Good luck tonight though Sam

I expect Munster to play a tight game with a lot of forward carrying. Under Foley Munster struggle when they can't bully teams up front so if the can stop their carrying game, they'll have a good chance. Munster are also without a proper openside. 6'5" Dave o'Callaghan is doing that job tonight.

Tight game will be the way prof, just hope Munster can get parity their and that Keatley can put in a performance.

Cheers Billy. We've got two open sides and a lock in the back row so the tight game is going to be interesting. I predict plenty of big collisions. I'm just hoping for a good, hard fought game.

Croft out Pearce In.

Croft out ill so Pearce moves onto the bench.

With McCaffrey and O'Connor at 7 & 8 Pearce makes more sense than Croft anyway, but not sure why Crane didn't get the nod ahead of Pearce who hasn't really developed this year.

As Croft is ill I wonder if that hasn't hit a couple of our lads with neither Crane nor Betham involved. Pearce has had some adjusting off the pitch as he became a father just after the season started. So he may have had his first decent night sleep last night for a while whilst at the team hotel. He's big, powerful and mobile an ideal opportunity for him to put his hand up and remind the coaches he's still around.

The big one of the day for me. Still think Munster will have too much for Leicester but really hope Tigers prove me wrong.

Best possible start for the Tigers.

What a run from Copeland and followed up by CJ

What's happening guys, stuck shopping

nathan wrote:What's happening guys, stuck shopping

The Tigers got an early penalty and lead 0-3 but Munster are attacking very well and the tigers are under pressure but their defence is holding.

Not a penalty. Can't be a ruck unless a player from either side competes for the ball. TV as the tackler is therefore onside and allowed to compete.

Munster loose head goes straight through the midfield - poor defence but a good line. He's cut down by Veainu but he then uses hands in the ruck once it's formed and gets penalised, maybe fortunate not to be yellow.

3-3

How could the touch judge miss that, it landed inside...

formerly known as Sam wrote:Not a penalty. Can't be a ruck unless a player from either side competes for the ball. TV as the tackler is therefore onside and allowed to compete.

Actually agree with this, Munster very lucky there. Looked like a perfect effort for me.

Veainu really is electric isn't he.

Great steal from Botha, better at the breakdown than at the scrum these days!

But Carlos it's not a ruck as no competition takes place over the ball and as the tackler TV is onside unless a ruck is formed.

Brainless from us ball in hand. We're not putting enough players into the breakdown early enough and Munster are picking us off.

Excellent from Young's but Leicester's indiscipline is costing them here.

I didn't see the replay so can't really comment. I was more thinking that if Poite adjudged it to be illegal then he's lucky not to go to the bin.

The man went straight through up the middle, both sides of the pitch wide open to be attacked with the defence retreating. Could have easily been binned.

Why are we flicking crap ball out of the back of a dominant scrum? Fecking dumb.

Munster have brought an excellent physicality to the breakdown and Tigers are struggling to adjust and compete.

Nice to see both sides are looking to attack and play with width rather than just milk three pointers.

Its a difficult one Carlos, as a Munster fan, I believe that it was a wrong call from Poite. No Munster players had engaged by the time he was in position to attack the ball.

I can see where Poite made his decision but for me, it was a good piece of work and Munster were lucky.

Not certain if O'Connor released there but I'll take the penalty chance.

Munster are working much better as a unit currently. Their forwards are running better lines and their intensity at the breakdown is better.

Countdown until a Munster fan starts gushing about BOD's comments on Earls and his offloading ability in 3... 2... 1...

Very very luck not to have handed three points straight back there.

Absorbing half. Tigers not quite smart enough at the breakdown. 

That said, they'll be delighted with 6-6 given that they've only had 25% of possession.

Well done Poite!

Munster fans booing (as usual)

How is that not a penalty try!?

Edit: Try!!!!!

What a great finish that was.

Great driving maul from the Tigers, such speed and in fairness, could have been a Penalty Try.

Yellow card for number 4?

How that is a penalty to us I'm not sure. Poite should have carried on until we'd cleared our lines from the turnover. As he stopped play he had nowhere to go when it wasn't a Munster penalty.

Great try but fortuitous given the penalty decision. Munster lucky not to concede a penalty try and a yellow card though.

Cyril wrote:Well done Poite!

Munster fans booing (as usual)

Sure look at least there are fans in the stadium.

Fantastic finish from Niki Goneva.

As is so often the case with those moments from him the ball was in the wrong hand but he beat the first man anyway with no right to!

Tigers can feel hard done by. Poite had already given the penalty for bringing the maul down so I don't understand why there wasn't a card there and Willams would have had a kick in front of the post instead of missing the more difficult chance from the touchline.

Yes!!!!!!

Well done Tigers

Munster caught completely cold there.

I think that the Tigers were robbed 2 points there by not awarding a penalty try, that could be crucial. Munster need the break as Leicester have all the momentum.

nathan wrote:Yellow card for number 4?

I thought that as well nathan when he went in at the side.

Judging by Poite not putting the arm out until it was collapsed a second later he must have felt it was legal though.

I wouldn't like to see the bollocking Keatley is getting on Munsterfans right now

George Carlin wrote:Tigers can feel hard done by. Poite had already given the penalty for bringing the maul down so I don't understand why there wasn't a card there and Willams would have had a kick in front of the post instead of missing the more difficult chance from the touchline.

Agree. There were at least 2 Munster players pulling down the maul at the side less than 5 metres out. It should have been a yellow and 2 more points.

Oh dear. Foley will be screaming about that at half time.

A tigers team taking there chances, whatever next!

LeinsterFan4life wrote:I wouldn't like to see the bollocking Keatley is getting on Munsterfans right now

No more than usual, I have long said that Munster will win nothing with Keatley.

Poite gave Leicester that try with his decision on the block on Conway. It was quite deliberate.

After sustaining that amount of pressure, Leicester have come back brilliantly. Quality game so far and I cant have enough praise for the Tigers and their fans

Matt Smith has been huge in the Tigers midfield. Lots of big tackles from him. Shame he hasn't got the pace he used to for a deserved try, he was desperately looking around for a winger to pass to.

Pressure on the lineout and a gifted try.

Tigers have stepped up their intensity at the breakdown and now Munster need to find another gear and start doing more with all that possession. With the wind maybe we'll see some drop goals and kicks to the corner.

I agree it was a ridiculous decision not to award a penalty try for pulling the maul down, but they never should've had the penalty that lead to the lineout anyway.

The Veainu penalty was wrong aswell. Whatever the result it looks like there will be plenty for both fans to moan about.

Pot Hale wrote:Poite gave Leicester that try with his decision on the block on Conway. It was quite deliberate.

Wasn't the first offence a push by a Munster player?