Eddie O'Sullivan says Munster’s interprovincial derby against Ulster could be a watershed game in their season.
Munster fell to their fourth defeat in six games as a patched-up side went down fighting against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, where they took a surprise lead on 45 minutes only to then concede 20 unanswered points as the home side powered to a sixth successive victory.
Graham Rowntree’s men tackle Ulster at Thomond Park on Saturday, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, in their final game of the opening block of BKT United Rugby Championship fixtures and O’Sullivan believes it could make or break their season.
Speaking on Against The Head, the former Ireland head coach said: "At the moment we don’t know where Munster actually are. We know they’re hamstrung by a horrendous injury list, that they’ve had bad performances and have a new coaching team in. There’s a lot of variables there that does nothing to stabilise the ship.
"Can they get to a point where we see a progression in their game, which means they’re going in the right direction? I would argue, and it’s harsh to say, we haven’t quite seen it yet.
"We’ve seen them pitch up and put their bodies on the line, which is expected, but they couldn’t break Leinster down last Saturday. Their scores came from two penalties from poor discipline by Leinster and a ball that was turned on the ground and hacked up the pitch.
🏉 TRY MUNSTER
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 22, 2022
Cousins combine, Gavin to Liam, as 14-man Munster take the lead at the Aviva Stadium
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"We know Ulster have one of the best backlines in the league, they are very confident in themselves and have a decent pack who will match Munster.
"If Munster can tumble Ulster next weekend it will be a big statement. I don’t think anyone expected them to tumble Leinster and it could have gotten even uglier than it was at the end, but this could be a watershed game.
"If they can beat Ulster with a big performance and get all the jobs done, they’ll have made a statement of intent. For the confidence of the squad as well and given their injury situation, it could be one that turns their season.
"If it was to go the other way, it’s a long road back."
'I've just told the lads I’m proud of them...we’re going in the right direction’ - Munster head coach Grahan Rowntree says he sees continued improvement in his Munster team pic.twitter.com/ITkOmm4j7e
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) October 22, 2022
Munster sit 11th in the URC table with 11 points from their opening six matches and Donal Lenihan fears they could miss out on qualification for next season's Heineken Champions Cup, which would deliver another financial blow to the province.
The former Munster and Ireland lock said: "The worry I would have for Munster is they were always going to up for last Saturday’s match on the back of the previous visit to the Aviva [last May] against a Leinster second-third team [suffering a 35-25 loss which cost them a home quarter-final].
"You can’t be up like that every week. Therefore you’ve got to rely on your natural game and creative spark.
"If they’re not right against Ulster, immediately they’re going to be back in trouble again. That’s the challenge for them."
Watch Munster vs Ulster and Ospreys vs Connacht in the BKT United Rugby Championship on Saturday 29 October from 4.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
