Mike Prendergast says Munster's interprovincial derby with Ulster has taken on added importance as they bid to end a tough opening block of fixtures with a win.
Munster sit 11th in the BKT United Rugby Championship with four defeats from six games and host Ulster at Thomond Park on Saturday in their final fixture before the international break.
Munster’s best performance of the season came in their last home fixture when they powered to a bonus-point win over the Vodacom Bulls and Prendergast wants to sign off with another big win in front of their own supporters.
"It’s hugely important," said the Munster attack coach. "We alluded to it on Tuesday morning, how important it is. We’re not relying or counting on being at home, but it’s definitely something that will help.
"We did feel that energy from the crowd against the Bulls, we probably gave them something to cheer about. I thought it worked well in tandem.
"In terms of putting in a performance and getting a result, that’s our main goal for this week. There has been improvements but we still need results to go with that.
"Two weeks ago we had that against the Bulls, we came up short against Leinster. We know we need to get a result this weekend but we’re against a very good Ulster team that are in a lot of form."
Ulster arrived back from South Africa on Monday after their two-match tour was derailed by a stomach bug that swept through the coaching staff.
Ulster said 29 players and 13 support staff became unwell last week, with the medical team confirming both E-coli and Norovirus were found in tested samples.
Munster suffered major disruption during their South African tour last season when 14 players and staff were forced into isolation in Cape Town after a Covid-19 outbreak.
"It'll probably galvanise them," said Prendergast. "You look at their last game, they had a win in South Africa against the Lions, which a lot of teams haven’t done.
"I’m sure they’ll come down with a lot of confidence and we have got to be ready for that."
A wet night is forecast for Limerick on Saturday but Prendergast still expects a free-flowing game against Ulster, who are seeking their fifth win in six matches.
He said: "Ulster are a team that score a lot of tries. At the weekend we defended really well, especially our scramble defence, that probably kept us in the game in the first half. We’ll be looking for more of that in terms of their attack.
"We’ll also be looking to keep our attack going forward and adding layers here and there."
Watch Munster v Ulster in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday from 4.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, listen to live commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 and follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app
Watch Ospreys v Connacht in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday from 7.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
