Munster A Prepare For Welsh Trip

Following his side’s bonus point win over Ospreys Premiership Select in the British & Irish Cup on Friday night, Munster A Head Coach Mick O’Driscoll remains wisely wary of the Welsh outfit heading into this weekend’s return encounter on Sunday afternoon – KO 3pm.

With three rounds played, Munster A lie second on the Pool 4 table, sandwiched between Yorkshire Carnegie and London Scottish in first and third respectively, and with just two league points separating the top three sides, a win this weekend is key to Munster A achieving qualification as either Pool winners or one of the three best runners up.

As the A team’s senior counterparts have learnt already this season, there’s no such thing as an easy clash on Welsh soil and O’Driscoll is expecting nothing different for his mixture of emerging and established talent this weekend.

“This should make for a good game and we will be travelling over with a pretty strong team hopefully, similar to what we had the last day in Old Crescent. We’ll be hoping to put a lot pressure on them in what will be a very tough game. We head over there needing a win by virtue of the fact that we’ve already lost a game so the pressure’s on us. They have a very good side and I don’t think the score line did them any justice last weekend.

Despite picking up their first bonus point win of the season, O’Driscoll’s impartial assessment is that the score line on Friday night may have flattered his side just a bit and knows that further improvement is necessary, particularly at set piece.

“They missed a few kicks in the first 15 to 20 minutes that could have put them 9-0 up, and had that happened, it could have been a different story. We were also fortunate in that we got a lucky try 30 minutes in and that changed the game.

“We struggled big time against them in the scrum where we gave away seven penalties and if we make the same mistake over there we’ll be in big trouble so that’s one big area we’re working to get right before Sunday.

“That all said it was good to get the bonus point try, especially in a hard-fought game that didn’t show on the scoreboard, and against a side that possess the quality that Ospreys have.

“We now have to travel over there and get a win if we are to progress in this competition so getting the four points will be first and foremost our sights.”

Ospreys Premiership Select v Munster A, British & Irish Cup Round 4, Sunday December 20^th at Brewery Field – KO 3pm.