Munster must find cutting edge to keep Champions Cup hopes alive
Mike Prendergast watched Munster create plenty of close range chances against Leinster but fail to take them. The prospective head coach doesn't want to see a repeat against Saracens
Munster must find a ruthless edge to slice Saracens open - after the Reds blew chance after chance against Leinster.
The Blues left Thomond Park with a handy 28-7 victory after Christmas. But, to Mike Prendergast's mind, the hosts put themselves into position to pull the trigger close to the visitors' try line on seven occasions, only to mis-fire.
Now the focus now turns to Europe and, facing into final pool games against Sarries and Northampton, Munster are third in the Pool 3 table behind the Premiership sides.
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With Tom Ahern committing for two more years, calf victim Peter O'Mahony pushing for selection and the quartet of Conor Murray, Diarmuid Barron, Jack O'Donoghue and Diarmuid Kilgallen available again, the Reds are in a good place heading into this vital home tie.
“The change-up in competition is good," insisted Prendergast, the province's attack coach who wants the vacant head coach post. "We know there's little room for error - with this fixture, especially. The boys have really come in bouncing and getting a few players back brings that energy back as well, which will help us.
“This game, in reality, is probably going to come down to moments again. It’s two teams that probably wouldn’t be a million miles away from each other. It’s about us being right on it and being able to take those moments.
"Leinster was a 28-7 game at home in Thomond Park in front of 27,000 people, absolutely. When we strip it back and look at the moments that we left behind like we did in Croke Park (also against Leinster), that ironically excites us in terms of what we created but didn’t take.
“It’s like in a game of football. You create, but you don’t finish it off and that’s what we are really focusing on. That gets you excited because we are creating. We need to finish."
Saracens play with a high linespeed in defence and Munster are well accustomed to that having been to South Africa recently and then faced Leinster.
"It takes a lot to break these teams down," Prendergast acknowledged. "Technically, tactically, everything, and we have been doing that. Now we need to finish it."
A decision on O'Mahony's participation will be made tomorrow but the Reds will be crossing everything that their talisman is passed fit to play.
Tenth in the URC table, the Reds are facing a Sarries side currently third in the Premiership. With Ireland's Six Nations squad selection coming next week, there's no better time than the present for Munster players to show up with England up first for the men in green.
Yet there will be no mention of that this week at UL. "Ah, it's unspoken, I think guys individually have that," Prendergast said. "We would, as a club, want as many players in green jerseys as we can but it's not something we speak about the week of a Champions Cup game.
"But guys, individually, will want to put in a performance for Munster, first of all and second of all what it does is, it's on a big stage and it does put you out there and see what you can do under pressure against a big English team.
"So what a great opportunity for our players as well, number one for their own club but two, for further honours, potentially. With Munster and Saracens, historically, it gets your mindset racing straight away in terms of what the challenge is about. We're massively looking forward to it."
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