Pro14 QF: Munster vs Benetton, Sat 4th May 3pm

thomond2006

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

Replacements:
Kevin O’Byrne, Liam O'Connor, John Ryan, Billy Holland, Arno Botha, Alby Mathewson, JJ Hanrahan, Dan Goggin.

Benetton Rugby:
15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Marco Zanon, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan (C), 9 Dewaldt Duvenage,
8 Toa Halafihi, 7 Abraham Steyn, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Marco Lazzaroni, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Nicola Quaglio

Replacements:
16 Hame Faiva, 17 Derrick Appiah, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Irnerbst, 20 Dean Budd, 21 Tito Tebaldi, 22 Antonio Rizzi, 23 Alberto Sgarbi

Unavailable: Tommaso Benvenuti, Ignacio Brex, Marco Fuser, Ornel Gega, Nasi Manu, Ian McKinley, Giovanni Pettinelli, Luca Sperandio, Cherif Traore, Federico Zani

Shefwedfan

Still no Carberry?

Former Former

This is going to be an absolute hiding. Benetton will do well to finish within 20 points.

Shefwedfan

Darren Sweetnam will start in place of Earls, while Liam O'Connor will join the replacements for Loughman.

Update after Captains run

thomond2006

That's a few times this season that Sweetnam has started in this way.

typhoony

Former Former wrote: »

This is going to be an absolute hiding. Benetton will do well to finish within 20 points.

the bookies say it's 15 points, won't be a pushover for munster

Buer

typhoony wrote:

the bookies say it's 15 points, won't be a pushover for munster

15 points is a very big handicap. I don't think it will be a pushover but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Munster beat an Italian side by 30 points either.

thomond2006

Benetton haven't taken too many hidings this year. Munster should win but I'm thinking by the 10-12 point mark. This is a new stage for the visitors and I can see them flying out of the traps. That injury list is extensive however, though I'm unsure how many would be playing if available. Munster are missing maybe three players from their 23 in Cronin/Loughman, Carbery and Earls.

thomond2006

thomond2006 wrote: »

Benetton haven't taken too many hidings this year. Munster should win but I'm thinking by the 10-12 point mark. This is a new stage for the visitors and I can see them flying out of the traps. That injury list is extensive however, though I'm unsure how many would be playing if available. Munster are missing maybe three players from their 23 in Cronin/Loughman, Carbery and Earls.

I'm going for something like 31-15, comfortable but respectable enough for Treviso. They'll hang in there for 50 mins imo.

Shefwedfan

JJ is playing better st the moment but they are sticking with blyendaal again??

Are both signed up for next season?

c.p.w.g.w

I think benneton will surprise a few members on here. Going to the game myself, hope it's better attended than last year's again against Edinburgh.

Shefwedfan

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

I think benneton will surprise a few members on here. Going to the game myself, hope it's better attended than last year's again against Edinburgh.

Doubt it...

Erik Shun

New territory for Treviso today, think they'll huff and puff for a while, but think we'll run away with it easily enough could be a long day for them

I'll be surprised if this isn't wrapped up by half time.

leakyboots

Doubt there'll be a massive crowd for this, bank holiday weekend against not the most glamorous of teams and a lot of rugby played recently

stephen_n

There were quite a few noisy Treviso fans in the RDS. Hopefully they’ll travel in numbers again today. Make for a much better atmosphere at the game if they do.

ScrubsfanChris

North and South terraces both covered over, looking like a smaller crowd then last week.
Being the May bank holiday isn't helping I guess.

troyzer

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

North and South terraces both covered over, looking like a smaller crowd then last week.
Being the May bank holiday isn't helping I guess.

Rúaridh O'Connor was saying that it's a shame Munster fans aren't turning up.

This is basically their first step to Marseilles next year because every win from here on out raises their seeding for the Heineken Cup groups.

And everyone knows that Munster need a home semi final to get over the hump, which probably requires an unbeaten group stage. Which itself probably requires Munster having top seed.

Shefwedfan

troyzer wrote: »

Rúaridh O'Connor was saying that it's a shame Munster fans aren't turning up.

This is basically their first step to Marseilles next year because every win from here on out raises their seeding for the Heineken Cup groups.

And everyone knows that Munster need a home semi final to get over the hump, which probably requires an unbeaten group stage. Which itself probably requires Munster having top seed.

You could say May Bank holiday but then Ravenspan is more or less sold out...Bank Holiday weekend in UK as well....

Thomond should be used for European games and Leinster match, move the rest of the games to Cork or smaller stadium....

troyzer

Shefwedfan wrote: »

You could say May Bank holiday but then Ravenspan is more or less sold out...Bank Holiday weekend in UK as well....

Thomond should be used for European games and Leinster match, move the rest of the games to Cork or smaller stadium....

Yeah, it's a bit disappointing.

Still, bank holiday weekend and it's only Treviso must have put off a lot.

leakyboots

Limerick empties out for the summer bank holidays, especially with the good weather. Those that are staying put have Riverfest on in town to keep them away.

Any fellow fans of mine that are regular matchgoers have given this a miss - away quarter and semi and a match last weekend (there was 20'000 there last weekend for the Connacht match) coupled with the first summer bank holiday, always gonna be a small crowd for this with that opposition

ScrubsfanChris

troyzer wrote: »

Yeah, it's a bit disappointing.

Still, bank holiday weekend and it's only Treviso must have put off a lot.

The cheapest tickets being €30 and €45 doesn't help either.

Still it looks like a smaller turnout than I was expecting.

leakyboots

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

The cheapest tickets being €30 and €45 doesn't help either.

Still it looks like a smaller turnout than I was expecting.

Yeah saucy enough. You could bring two juniors with each senior ticket though, great idea

I think the result being a relatively forgone conclusion isn't helping turnout but comparing to the Ulster game isn't a fair comparison, that's a big derby and a big fixture for both teams - the two aren't the same. The RDS wouldn't fill out for this kind of game either.

troyzer

Seeing the crowd on TV now.

Jesus.....

thomond2006

I'm at the game, there must be lots of communions!

thomond2006

Cloete with a turnover, good start from him.

troyzer

The eir coverage driving me batty, constantly talking over Nigel.

Munster have had a good start but Treviso are definitely here to play.

leakyboots

Lovely change in play by Scannell and chase by POM

troyzer

Nigel making **** up again.

leakyboots

These things always seem to happen Nigel

Faugheen

Was there a forward pass in the build up to the penalty? When the ball went out wide off the maul?

troyzer

Murray was trying to draw a penalty there and got turned over.

Gas.

leakyboots

Thought he swam up the side there

troyzer

leakyboots wrote: »

Thought he swam up the side there

He definitely did but Murray ran straight into him expecting the penalty.

leakyboots

troyzer wrote: »

He definitely did but Murray ran straight into him expecting the penalty.

Yeah Murray should have gotten it out of there sooner. Nice play there with Conway hitting the line. We're playing running rugby, have we boxkicked yet?

sydthebeat

leakyboots wrote: »

Thought he swam up the side there

Nah he didn't break his bind until after Murray had taken it out and run into him.

jprender

if anyone knows of an online stream, can you pm me with it please ?

troyzer

leakyboots wrote: »

Yeah Murray should have gotten it out of there sooner. Nice play there with Conway hitting the line. We're playing running rugby, have we boxkicked yet?

I don't think so. Neither have Treviso, mostly kicking out of the backfield.

Good setup there, Sweetnam was unlucky. I expect Munster to score now.

leakyboots

Two spills from Beirne, not like him

Bridge93

How is this still scoreless

troyzer

Nigel teaching the Treviso openside to bind to the second row, not the prop.

Looking at you POM......

razorblunt

Drift defence easily handling the Munster backline time and time again.

troyzer

That ball was miles out, never a penalty.

Spudmonkey

Munster really have the bluntest attack. The ball rarely leaves the second receiver and when it does it's purely to shovel it over and back.

ScrubsfanChris

leakyboots wrote: »

Two spills from Beirne, not like him

And another, this one costly

leakyboots

CJ, Scannell and Cloete are getting through mountains of work

troyzer

Ioane is going to get carded at some point. He's being a complete dick everytime Treviso have a big play.

razorblunt

What is Owens doing? Shouting the colour mean a penalty to the opposite team. The AR will give you the details.

troyzer

Christ, this phase play from Munster is ****e.

I can see them losing this.

sydthebeat

Absolutely no shape to munster attack.

Scannell going missing