Ulster travel to Thomond Park for a crunch United Rugby Championship encounter on Saturday evening with both sides pushing for a place in the Last Eight
A general view of Thomond Park(Image: INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
Munster, currently on 46 points, welcome Ulster, who have 47 points, to Thomond Park this evening, with both teams just one victory away from securing a place in the Last Eight.
While there has been evident upheaval behind the scenes at Munster, the squad has remained focused on the pitch, delivering an impressive seven-try triumph at Benetton last week. Their previous URC performance, securing two bonus points at Bulls, is increasingly proving its worth.
For Munster, this isn’t simply about hosting a derby or accumulating crucial points – it’s about Clayton Mcmillan delivering a commanding performance at the ground for the supporters, particularly given recent circumstances.
Ulster, meanwhile, are adopting a broader perspective, mindful that they’re competing on two fronts with a Challenge Cup semi-final at Exeter looming next week.
While Ulster indicated they might rotate their squad this week, few anticipated Richie Murphy would go as far as handing three Academy players – Aitzol Arenzana-King, Tom Brigg, James McKillop – their starting debuts, reports the Irish Mirror.
Here’s what you need to know about this fixture:
What: URC Round 16
Where: Thomond Park, Limerick
When: Saturday, April 25th
Kick-off: 5.30pm
What TV channel is it on? Premier Sport, URC.TV
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scot) TMO: Dave Sutherland (SRU)
Table positions: URC – Munster are 6th, 46 pts; Ulster are 5th, 47 pts
Did you know?
* Munster ended a three game losing streak in all competitions, where they conceded 110 points, with a thumping win on the road to Benetton in Round 15 * Ulster have suffered defeats in their last two fixtures against Irish opposition (Connacht and Leinster)
* Munster have reached all four previous URC Play-Offs
* A visit to Thomond Park marks Ulster’s final away fixture of the season before hosting the competition’s top two ranked teams (Glasgow and Stormers)
* Munster have emerged victorious in four of their last six encounters with Ulster
* Ulster are targeting their first three-match away winning run since 2023/24 and their first league double over Munster since 2013/14
QUOTES CORNER
Munster captain Tadhg Beirne: “I think it was a badly-needed win, but more importantly, a badly-needed performance from us. Not just for the 23 that were playing, but everyone inside here, because we’ve been quite disappointed with some of our performances over the last probably a couple of months, not even just a couple of weeks and we had two long weeks to prepare for that game. And I think we had a good look at ourselves to bounce back and thankfully we got a good response.”
Ulster coach Richie Murphy: “We were at our best last week when we were able to move the ball away from the breakdown and get into the outside channels and bring the likes of our back three and our back rowers down those edges. We won’t change that, no matter what, do you know what I mean? Does it mean it’s easy to do in semi-finals? And these last three games will all feel like knockout games. Is that easy? No. But if that’s what you believe in, that’s what you should go after.”
Betting odds: Munster 1/40 draw 30/1 Ulster 20/1
Popular Bets: Handicap Ulster +28; Ulster to win by 1-7 pts 45/1
LINE-UPS:
Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Michael Ala’alatoa, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, Dan Kelly, Alex Kendellen.
Ulster: Michael Lowry (capt); Aitzol Arenzana-King, Ethan McIlroy, Ben Carson, Ben Moxham; Jake Flannery, Conor McKee; Eric O’Sullivan, James McCormick, Bryan O’Connor; Harry Sheridan, Charlie Irvine; James McKillop, Tom Brigg, Lorcan McLoughlin.
Replacements: John Andrew, Callum Reid, Tom McAllister, Joe Hopes, Marcus Rea, David Shanahan, James Humphreys, Jonny Scott.
