Northampton Saints will take some stopping as Munster look to push for highest seeding possible

Yet with Northampton Saints bringing their big guns across the Irish Sea and targeting top spot, the match should give us a good idea of where Munster stand.

Barring a freak result in Bayonne tomorrow, Graham Rowntree’s men are in the knock-outs already while the Saints have already secured a place in the top two and are in engaged in a points race to try and top the pool and earn a high seeding.

Munster will likely be away from home in the last 16 but last week’s win in Toulon showed they have nothing to fear.

Still, a win would earn them third place and a better draw and that’s worth chasing given the form of some of the teams who are likely to have the highest seeding.

The relentless bad news on the injury front has eased, with Rowntree able to make one change to his side as Oli Jager is fit enough to make his first European start at tighthead prop.

Munster’s performance at the Stade Mayol is something to build on for the rest of the season and this will be a real test against a Saints side who have impressed this season.

They made life difficult when the teams met at Franklin’s Gardens last season in an ill-tempered affair and the bad blood might just crop up yet again.

Certainly, a Munster pack led by new Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony won’t take a backward step, with John Hodnett and Gavin Coombes out to make a point to Andy Farrell after being left out of Ireland’s Six Nations squad. Another big game from Craig Casey could move him ahead of Conor Murray in the Ireland pecking order, while it’s another chance for Jack Crowley to impress on a night when conditions are expected to be difficult.

With Courtney Lawes at blindside, this is a Saints side capable of making life interesting for Munster and a close to sell-out crowd.

The former England flanker’s form has been strong since the World Cup and while he’s no longer available to Steve Borthwick, there are seven Saints in the England squad with lock Alex Coles, flanker Tom Pearson, centre Fraser Dingwall, winger Tommy Freeman, full-back George Furbank, scrum-half Alex Mitchell and out-half Fin Smith involved.

Throw in Scotland centre Rory Hutchinson and there are a lot of attacking options for a team that has long been one of the best with the ball in England, but now offers a steely defence coached by rugby league convert Lee Radford.

“We know them quite well, but what I would say is they’ve moved to another level around all aspects of their game,” defence coach Denis Leamy said this week.

“They’re a better team again than what we played last year. Their attack is class. It’s really, really good.

“Their speed of ball, you know, quickest ruck in the Premiership. How we deal with that, how we manage that will be really important because they’ve got such quality.”

If the weather is bad it might help slow the Saints’ march, but it would also limit Munster’s ambition and force them into the trenches, but the return of Niall Scannell and O’Mahony has been huge for their set-piece which will be a big help.

Last weekend, they used Casey’s box-kicking and the chase from Shane Daly and Calvin Nash as a weapon and they’ll be heavily involved again.

The key is to play in the right areas, control the game and stay disciplined.

Backed by a vociferous home crowd, it’s set up for Munster to round off their pool stage with a win.

Defeat isn’t necessarily terminal, but it would certainly check the momentum they generated in Toulon.

Verdict: Munster

MUNSTER: S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, O Jager; T Ahern, T Beirne (capt); P O’Mahony, J Hodnett, G Coombes. Reps: E Clarke, J Wycherley, J Ryan, B Gleeson, A Kendellen, C Murray, J Carbery, Seán O’Brien.

NORTHAMPTON: G Furbank (capt); T Freeman, F Dingwall, R Hutchinson, O Sleightholme; F Smith, A Mitchell; A Waller, C Langdon, T Davison; T Mayanavanua, A Coles; C Lawes, T Pearson, J Augustus. Reps: R Smith, E Iyogun, E Millar Mills, A Moon. S Graham, T James, B Odendaal, C Savala.

REF: L Pearce (England)

Munster v Northampton Saints

Live, RTÉ2/TNT Sports 1, 5.30

The lowdown on Northampton Saints

How they beat you

The Saints have had an impressive attack for a few seasons now and their work with ball in hand is really impressive, but this season it's been married with a steely defence. Munster need to get busy at the breakdown to slow down the supply and the conditions may help in that regard.

How you beat them

On a night where the weather will be poor, it's all about control. Munster must be accurate out of touch, good in the ruck and play in the right areas. With Craig Casey and Jack Crowley's kicking game, there's scope to unlock that Saints rearguard.

Star man

He may no longer be an England international, but Courtney Lawes remains one of Europe's best forwards. The teak-tough blindside will be tasked with getting Northampton on the front-foot.