Saracens vs Munster, Sat 14th Dec 3pm; BT Sports

thomond2006 · 13-12-2019 1:01pm #1

Saracens team:

15 Max Malins
14 Sean Maitland
13 Alex Lozowski
12 Nick Tompkins
11 Elliot Daly
10 Owen Farrell (c)
9 Richard Wigglesworth
1 Mako Vunipola
2 Jamie George
3 Vincent Koch
4 Joel Kpoku
5 George Kruis
6 Nick Isiekwe
7 Ben Earl
8 Billy Vunipola

Replacements

16 Tom Woolstencroft
17 Richard Barrington
18 Josh Ibuanokpe
19 Calum Clark
20 Jackson Wray
21 Ben Spencer
22 Manu Vunipola
23 Duncan Taylor

Munster:
Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; JJ Hanrahan, Conor Murray;
James Cronin, Niall Scannell, John Ryan; Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland; Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (C), CJ Stander.

Replacements: Kevin O’Byrne, Liam O’Connor, Stephen Archer, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Donoghue, Nick McCarthy, Dan Goggin, Tommy O’Donnell.

Munster are up against it as they travel to Barnet to face Saracens. The only change to starting XV sees John Ryan replace Stephen Archer. Tommy O'Donnell replaces the suspended Arno Botha on the bench as Munster retain a 6-2 split.

Assuming Racing earn the maximum against Ospreys tonight, this is how the Pool will stand tomorrow:

Racing 17
Munster 11
Saracens 6
Ospreys 0

If Munster earn an unlikely win, Saracens will be eliminated and the Racing-Munster clash will decide who tops the pool with both teams looking likely to qualify for the knockout stages. If Saracens win then it's all to play for the three teams. Given the lineups it's difficult to see Munster getting a return from this game, with last Saturday looking like a lost opportunity to deny Saracens a LBP.

Interested Observer · 13-12-2019 1:06pm

https://twitter.com/Saracens/status/1205457342336131073

It's another mix and match from Saracens but overall much stronger than last weekend.

yerrahbah · 13-12-2019 1:10pm

Huge performance needed, need at minimum a LBP and deny them a TBP

Interested Observer · 13-12-2019 1:11pm

Are Liam Williams and Alex Goode both injured? Neither have featured in either game.

LuckyGent88 · 13-12-2019 1:14pm

Interested Observer wrote: »

Are Liam Williams and Alex Goode both injured? Neither have featured in either game.

Goode out for three months anyway. Not sure on Williams though.

We have to play our best game in years tomorrow really. Very strong Saracens team who I’m pretty sure are unbeaten at this new stadium. Need to get a minimum LBP anyway and stop them getting four tries.

Dbu · 13-12-2019 1:16pm

Thats a seriously good Saracens team. Enormous effort needed to get something there, but not impossible

arsebiscuits1 · 13-12-2019 1:18pm

Can't see this game going any other way that to Sarries. Bookies have Sarries at -12

Zzippy · 13-12-2019 1:22pm

LuckyGent88 wrote: »

Goode out for three months anyway. Not sure on Williams though.

We have to play our best game in years tomorrow really. Very strong Saracens team who I’m pretty sure are unbeaten at this new stadium. Need to get a minimum LBP anyway and stop them getting four tries.

New stadium?? Unbeaten??

Eod100 · 13-12-2019 1:36pm

Think a lbp would be decent result here

errlloyd · 13-12-2019 1:36pm

LuckyGent88 wrote: »

We have to play our best game in years tomorrow really. Very strong Saracens team who I’m pretty sure are unbeaten at this new stadium. Need to get a minimum LBP anyway and stop them getting four tries.

Remember that time that Alaverati Raka scored 3 tries, did all the work for a fourt and Clermont absolutely ruined Saracens in a monday night snow delayed game? It was excellent.

jr86 · 13-12-2019 1:51pm

Definitely the right call for Sarries to bring back the world class stars. leicester and Wasps are absolutely awful, relegation really shouldn't be a concern. In any case they will certainly get away with resting players against ospreys and maybe even against Racing, before going all out from the quarters to qualify again for next year

Reckon they will get the 5 here for sure and deny Munster a LBP

phog · 13-12-2019 1:59pm

We absolutely have to get something from tomorrow or it's very likely that we can't catch Sarries for 2nd spot

We'll do a big favour to the other teams if we can knock Sarries out at the pool stages.

LuckyGent88 · 13-12-2019 2:00pm

errlloyd wrote: »

Remember that time that Alaverati Raka scored 3 tries, did all the work for a fourt and Clermont absolutely ruined Saracens in a monday night snow delayed game? It was excellent.

I obviously didn’t!!!

Interested Observer · 13-12-2019 2:11pm

Sp anything other than a 5-0 leaves Munster's fate in their own hands. Will need a result away to Racing but they've been all over the shop this season so it's doable.

Riskymove · 13-12-2019 2:15pm

Zzippy wrote: »

New stadium?? Unbeaten??

about 7 years now

probably losing its "new" tag alright:pac:

13-12-2019 4:22pm

If Munster get everything right and get everything out of each of their 23 players then maybe.

But I think a significant home win is on the cards, 15+.

crisco10 · 13-12-2019 4:27pm

We are overdue a Munster miracle match arent we?

Del.Monte · 14-12-2019 11:35am

crisco10 wrote: »

We are overdue a Munster miracle match arent we?

We are but I've still taken Saracens -11.

Former Former · 14-12-2019 11:41am

It's a very good Saracens team but still some way short of full strength. If this was in Thomond I'd make Munster favourites.

A win would be awesome and it's not outside the realm of possibility. A losing BP would still be a good outcome and is achievable.

Faugheen · 14-12-2019 12:11pm

I honestly think Munster can take them here.

Eod100 · 14-12-2019 12:48pm

Former Former wrote: »

It's a very good Saracens team but still some way short of full strength. If this was in Thomond I'd make Munster favourites.

A win would be awesome and it's not outside the realm of possibility. A losing BP would still be a good outcome and is achievable.

Guess result in TP needs to be taken in context of awful weather too so was never going to be high scoring. Think our defence is good. In attack I think we're kinda half way between Larkham's style and old one which can cause issues. No reason why we can't go out and win but think it will be tough ask against that Saracens team away from home.

thomond2006 · 14-12-2019 1:33pm

Faugheen wrote: »

I honestly think Munster can take them here.

I honestly think we'll do well to get anything from this.

Happy Christmas. :pac:

Boscoirl · 14-12-2019 1:41pm

https://twitter.com/munsterrugby/status/1205774598110875648?s=21

The way the team is lined out in this pic irritates me more than it should

thomond2006 · 14-12-2019 1:47pm

Boscoirl wrote: »

https://twitter.com/munsterrugby/status/1205774598110875648?s=21

The way the team is lined out in this pic irritates me more than it should

My eyes! It burns!

14-12-2019 2:22pm

I think I've just had some kind of a seizure.

yerrahbah · 14-12-2019 3:27pm

Ill say the same thing i said last year before the semi final

For Munster to have a chance they need.

To have their best game in years
Saracens to have an off day
Refs decisions to go our way

Today will also give us an idea where we stand relative to the best team in Europe