Gallery | Preparing For Edinburgh

Knockout rugby returns to Thomond Park with a PRO14 semi-final qualifier, and final home of the season, against Edinburgh on Saturday (3.15pm).

Finishing third in their conference the Scottish side will be travelling to Limerick on a high after winning eight of their last nine games in the competition and with Richard Cockerill in charge he will be well acquainted to big occasions in Thomond Park after previously guiding Leicester to a Champions Cup win in 2015.

Head Coach Johann van Graan is only too mindful of the province’s defeat in Murrayfield earlier this year, and is expecting a huge battle this Saturday.

“The fact we lost the game puts our guys in the right state of mind.

“You only had to watch the weekend’s game (against Glasgow), their poaching threat and the way they attack the breakdown is something that only the Scarlets match in this competition. They have got a very interesting kicking game. Their kicking off nine is very good. It surprised a few teams.

“You need to be clever in order to beat them. They are well drilled and have got a lot of belief. I have seen before when teams get belief and get on a roll it’s difficult to stop them.

“We as a squad will have to be on our best to beat them.”

The Munster team for Saturday’s clash will be named at noon on Friday.

Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final Qualifier

Saturday, May 5: Munster v Edinburgh, Thomond Park, 3.15pm; Buy tickets here

Hospitality

Places are very limited and already over 50% of the Thomond Suite has been sold out. To book your place/places, please contact Craig Power on craigpower@munsterrugby.ie or 085 2540516.