Munster vs Ospreys

Match Details

Competition: European Champions Cup Pool 4, Round 6.

Venue: Thomand Park, Limerick.

Time and Date: 13:00, Sunday 19/01/2020.

Permutations

Munster require a bonus point win to have any chance of qualifying for the next round.

Ospreys are out of the European Champions Cup.

Team Lineups

Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Calvin Nash; JJ Hanrahan, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Billy Holland; Peter O’Mahony (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.

Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Arno Botha, Jack O’Sullivan, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Dan Goggin.

Ospreys: Dan Evans; Hanno Dirksen, George North, Scott Williams, Luke Morgan; Luke Price, Shaun Venter; Nicky Smith, Scott Otten, Ma’afu Fia, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric (capt), Dan Baker.

Replacements: Sam Parry, Darryl Marfo, Gheorghe Gajion, Lloyd Ashley, Olly Cracknell, Sam Cross, Reuben Morgan-Williams, Cai Evans.

Squad Details

Munster

• Jack O’Donoghue (Back Row), Peter O’Mahony (Back Row), Dave Kilcoyne (Prop), CJ Stander (Back Row), Chris Farrell (Centre), Keith Earls (Winger), Conor Murray (Scrum Half) and Andrew Conway (Winger) have all been named in Ireland’s Six Nations squad.
• Brian Scott (Prop), Ciaran Parker (Prop), Jean Kleyn (Lock), Tadhg Beirne (Lock), Tommy O’Donnell (Back Row), Joey Carberry (Fly Half), Tyler Bleyendaal (Fly Half), and Keith Earls (Winger) are out injured.
• Calvin Nash (Winger) is making his first European Champions Cup appearance for Munster.

Ospreys

• Alun Wyn Jones (Lock), Adam Beard (Lock), Justin Tipuric (Back Row), Owen Watkin (Centre), and George North (Winger) were all named in the Wales Six Nations squad. Ma’afu Fia (Prop) is also a current Tongan International.
• Gareth Anscombe (Fly Half), Kieran Williams (Centre), Owen Watkin (Centre), and Cory Allen (Centre) are out injured.
• Alun Wyn Jones playing in only his 2^nd match since World Cup semi-final in October.
• George North required to play centre due to injuries.

Form

Munster have lost 4 out of their last 5 matches, although four out of their last 5 have been away from home. Munster’s last win was in the Pro 14 away against Connacht on December 21^st. In the European Champions Cup, Munster have won 2, lost 2, and drawn 1. Munster are 3^rd in Conference B of the Pro14, 4 points off the top spot. Munster are 3^rd in Pool 4 of the ECC and are 3 points behind Saracens.

Ospreys have lost their last 5 matches and have only mustered one win in 15 all season. Ospreys last win came against Benetton on October 12^th, 2019. Ospreys currently lie bottom of Conference A in the Pro 14 and bottom of Pool 4 in the European Champions Cup.

Last 5 Results

Previous Meetings

Pre-Team Release Betting

• Win/Lose/Draw
  • Munster 1/33. Ospreys 16/1. Draw 80/1.
• Handicap
  • Munster (-25) @ 10/11. Ospreys (+25) @ 10/11. Draw (-25) @ 22/1
• Handicap (No Draw)
  • Munster (-25.5) @ 10/11. Ospreys (+25.5) @ 4/5

Post-Team Release Betting

• Win/Lose/draw
  • Munster 1/25. Ospreys 14/1. Draw 50/1.
• Handicap
  • Munster (-21) @ 10/11. Ospreys (+21) @ 10/11. Draw (-21) @ 22/1
• Handicap (No Draw)
  • Munster (-21.5) @ 10/11. Ospreys (+21.5) @ 4/5

Player Watch

Munster – Jack O’Donoghue has been a stalwart for Munster this season and his performances have been rewarded with a call up to the Irish squad for the Six Nations Championship. It will be interesting to see if he can maintain his consistency as another layer of pressure added.

Ospreys – George North, who usually plays on the wing, has been selected at centre for Ospreys. He coped relatively well last week against a 14-man Saracens team, but a 15-man Munster at Thomand Park will be a different prospect.

Stat Attack

In their last two away games against Munster, Ospreys have picked up 3 yellow cards and conceded a total of 7 tries during the period they were reduced to 14 men.

Prediction

Munster have comfortably beaten Ospreys in their last 3 outings at home, scoring an average of 39 points and conceding an average of 12 points. Ospreys have scored a total of three tries during their previous three trips to the south of Ireland. This is a must-win game for Munster and a bonus point is required, so expect Munster to kick for the corner from the outset.

Although Munster comprehensively beat Ospreys 32 -13 in the reverse fixture at Liberty Stadium, the addition of Alun Wyn Jones and removal of Earls could prove to be worth one or two scores.

Munster to win by 11 – 20 points @ 11/4 w/ Betfair