All You Need To Know | Saracens v Munster

Munster face Saracens in the province’s record 14th Champions Cup semi-final at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on Saturday, April 20 (3pm, live on BT Sport and beIN Sports).

The Munster squad will be arriving at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday at around 1.30pm if supporters would like to welcome our squad to the ground.

– Press Pass | Listen to the pre-match press conference here.

– Read the latest squad update here.

– Check out the best training photos here.

– Travelling to the game? Read the MRSC Travel Guide here.

– Test your knowledge with our Champions Cup semi-final quiz here.

– Read about Munster’s path to the semi-final here.

English champions Saracens are currently second in the Premiership behind leaders Exeter Chiefs.

On the European front, the London side have averaged more points (34.4) and tries (4.3) per game than any other side this season.

Saracens have won three of their last four games against Munster in the tournament, after losing each of their first four prior to that run.

Saracens and Munster have met twice before in the semi-final with Munster winning 18-16 at the Ricoh Arena in 2008 while Saracens secured a 26-10 victory at the Aviva Stadium in 2017; on each occasion the winning side went on to lift the trophy.

Saracens have reached the semi-final stage for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, progressing to the final from three of their last four appearances.

Munster’s CJ Stander and Saracens’ Alex Goode are two of five players to have played the maximum 560 minutes this season.

Stander has made the most tackles (112), and he is also one of just three players to make 100+ carries. Munster lock Tadhg Beirne has won the most turnovers (14) to date.

Team Line-Ups

Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Darren Sweetnam; Tyler Bleyendaal, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony (C), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.

Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Jeremy Loughman, Stephen Archer, Billy Holland, Arno Botha, Alby Mathewson, JJ Hanrahan, Dan Goggin.

Saracens: Alex Goode; Sean Maitland, Alex Lozowski, Brad Barritt, Liam Williams; Owen Farrell, Ben Spencer; Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Titi Lamositele; Maro Itoje, George Kruis; Mike Rhodes, Jackson Wray, Billy Vunipola.

Replacements: Joe Gray, Richard Barrington, Vincent Koch, Will Skelton, Schalk Burger, Richard Wigglesworth, Nick Tompkins, David Strettle.

A Word From The Munster Camp

Ahead of the game, Munster captain Peter O’Mahony said: “We put in a lot of work over the past 12 months and I think that we are a different animal to what we were; further down the track.

“Don’t get me wrong, we are under no illusions as to how tough it is going to be. We are definitely a better side than we were last year. That gives us great confidence. We have big battles this year, games in which we have gone behind, big games that we have ground out; the draw in Exeter.

“You don’t look back a huge amount but there are things that you draw strength from over a season to gather momentum and confidence.

“We have built things up nicely but it all counts for nothing unless you perform at the weekend. That’s what we are looking for, a performance. We know that if we perform as well as we can we can mix it with the best.”

Match Officials

Referee: Jérome Garcès (Fra)

Assistant Referees: Romain Poite (Fra) & Mathieu Raynal (Fra)

TMO: Philippe Bonhoure (Fra)

Video | Peter O’Mahony’s Champions Cup Player Profile

Video | Munster’s Road To The Champions Cup Semi-Final

Next Home Game

Tickets are available for Munster’s vital Guinness PRO14 Interpro derby against Connacht at Thomond Park on Saturday, April 27 (7.35pm). Buy tickets here.