All You Need To Know | Munster v Harlequins

13th December 2020 By The Editor

A view of training at the HPC this week. Inpho

Munster face Harlequins this weekend in the first of their four games in the Pool stage of this season’s European Cup

Find out all you need to know ahead of the game below.

Where?

Thomond Park

When?

Sunday, December 13, 5.30pm

Broadcast

Live on BT Sport with radio coverage on Live 95.

Match Programme

View the match programme by clicking on the link below.

Munster News

Team Announcement

Gallery | This Week’s Training Pics

Squad Update

This Week At Munster Rugby

Did you know?

If Munster can win Sunday’s game, they will surpass the province’s seven-game winning start to the 2008/09 campaign.

Preview

There is a new competition format for this season’s Champions Cup and home games are more important than ever for sides looking to reach the quarter-final stage.

Munster’s four Pool games see Johann van Graan’s men take on Harlequins twice and Clermont Auvergne twice with the province aiming to accumulate enough points to finish in the top four of the 12-team Pool.

Quins travel to Limerick as one of only four visiting sides to have tasted victory at Thomond Park in 25 years of European rugby, having beaten Munster in the 2011 Challenge Cup semi-final.

No.8 Alex Dombrandt and scrum-half Danny Care are among the many threats in a very talented squad with Marcus Smith rated as the best young out-half in England.

Quins have won two of their opening three Premiership games this season and romped to a 34-24 victory away to Gloucester last week despite playing most of the second half with 14 men.

There will be some familiar faces in the Harlequins set-up with Lineout Coach Jerry Flannery and former Munster Academy scrum-half Jack Stafford among the London club’s ranks.

Similarly, Munster Forwards Coach Graham Rowntree was the Forwards Coach at Quins between 2016 and 2018.

Teams

Munster: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Keith Earls; JJ Hanrahan, Conor Murray; James Cronin, Kevin O’Byrne, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne; Gavin Coombes, Peter O’Mahony (C), CJ Stander.

Replacements: Rhys Marshall, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Donoghue, Craig Casey, Ben Healy, Rory Scannell.

Harlequins: Mike Brown; Nathan Earle, Luke Northmore, Ben Tapuai, Cadan Murley; Marcus Smith, Danny Care; Joe Marler, Scott Baldwin, Wilco Louw; Hugh Tizard, Glen Young; James Chisholm, Will Evans, Alex Dombrandt (C).

Replacements: Elia Elia, Santiago Garcia Botta, Fin Baxter, Richard De Carpentier, Tom Lawday, Scott Steele, James Lang, Ross Chisholm.