All You Need To Know | Benetton v Munster

Munster are in Italy this weekend for a vital Guinness PRO14 clash against Benetton Rugby at Stadio Monigo (8pm local time/7pm Irish time – live on eir Sport 1 Xtra, eir Sport app and Free Sports).

Read the Munster team announcement here.

See this week’s best training photos here.

It is the province’s second last regular season PRO14 game with Munster currently second in Conference A behind Glasgow Warriors, who travel to Leinster on Saturday afternoon.

Benetton are third in Guinness PRO14 Conference B, two points behind Ulster, and have won their last seven matches in all tournaments at Stadio Monigo. Their only defeat in any competition since mid-December was a 29-14 loss in Connacht last month.

A thrilling 27-all draw away to Leinster last week saw the Italians travel home from Dublin with mixed emotions after a game they could have won.

Munster made it 10 wins in 11 games thanks to Friday night’s bonus-point win over Cardiff Blues in the Guinness PRO14 at a sold-out Irish Independent Park.

That victory saw the province guarantee their place in the Final Series with two games to spare as their place in the top two was confirmed.

The Guinness PRO14 Conference A table with two games to go.

Team Line-Ups

Benetton Rugby: Jayden Hayward; Ratuva Tavuyara, Tommaso Benvenuti, Marco Zanon, Monty Ioane; Tommaso Allan (C), Dewaldt Duvenage; Nicola Quaglio, Luca Bigi, Marco Riccioni; Irné Herbst, Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri, Abraham Steyn, Toa Halafihi.

Replacements: Hame Faiva, Cherif Traore, Simone Ferrari, Marco Lazzaroni, Giovanni Pettinelli, Tito Tebaldi, Antonio Rizzi, Tommaso Iannone.

Munster: Mike Haley; Darren Sweetnam, Sammy Arnold, Dan Goggin, Shane Daly; JJ Hanrahan, Alby Mathewson; Jeremy Loughman, Rhy Marshall, Stephen Archer; Fineen Wycherley, Billy Holland (C); Jack O’Donoghue, Chris Cloete, Gavin Coombes.

Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, Liam O’Connor, Ciaran Parker, Darren O’Shea, Dave O’Callaghan, Neil Cronin, Bill Johnston, Alex McHenry.

Press Pass

Munster Head Coach Johann van Graan, Alby Mathewson and Darren O’Shea all spoke to the media this week.

Match Officials

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Assistant Referees: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR) & Simon Rees (WRU)

TMO: Stefano Roscini (FIR)

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.