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Eddie O'Sullivan analyses...

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Eddie O'Sullivan analyses Munster injury impact against "scary" Toulon centre options

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98FM

08:26 26 Mar 2018


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With the international rugby on ice again after Ireland's Grand Slam triumph, thoughts turned back to the provincial side of things at the weekend as the Guinness Pro14 continued.

There's added significance as we head into European Rugby Champions Cup quarter finals featuring Munster and Leinster against Toulon and Saracens respectively on home soil this coming weekend.

Eddie O'Sullivan analyses Munster injury impact against "scary" Toulon centre options

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Former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan and the Irish Independent's rugby correspondent Ruaidhri O'Connor joined Joe to look back at the weekend and cast an eye towards the big games to come.  

But for both Irish provinces left in the Champions Cup, injuries and post-Six Nations effects will impact both - with Munster particularly injury hit.

On that, Eddie said: "In terms of Johann van Graan and Leo Cullen planning their team strategies, it's going to be under a lot of pressure and then you layer on top of that, all the injuries which are quite extensive when you write them down and certainly I think Munster are going to really - well, if they have Rory Scannell on the field, I think they'll probably be okay but they could be in huge trouble in the middle of the field with Farrell gone, with Earls gone, with Scannell if he doesn't make it and Andrew Conway as well. There's a huge problem.

"If you look at the caliber that Toulon have in the middle of the field, it's scary so [Munster] certainly have a challenge set out for them and I think it's going to be cut and paste particularly for Johann van Graan this week in trying to get across the line."

Tactically, he feels Munster needs to spend as much time in Toulon's half and that control of the game and territory will be crucial, adding that "an emotional performance probably is the best thing Munster can put up there at the weekend".


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