The back-to-back round of the Champions Cup always has an edge.
Results are fresh in the memory. Personal grudges are there to be settled long before the emotional pain can wear off. It’s an instant shot at redemption for those hurting. It’s black-ice on the road for the round three winners.
This weekend, the Irish provinces all face English Premiership sides with a thorn in their paw. Ulster and Leinster will have to back up brilliant wins on the road against Harlequins and Exeter, but it’s the meeting of Munster and the Leicester Tigers at Welford Road on Sunday which is already bursting with venom.
Matt O’Connor was never one for biting his tongue during his time as Leinster head coach, and the whistle had barely blown in Limerick on Saturday before the Australian began stirring the pot for the return game.
First in the firing line was Munster’s Andrew Conway, who was knocked unconscious after clashing heads with Leicester’s Telusa Veainu. Veainu suffered a broken jaw in the incident, and despite this, took the time to check in on Conway as he received lengthy treatment on the ground. Clearly there were no hard feelings between the players. That didn’t extend to the coach.
In his press conference after the game, O’Connor thought losing consciousness wasn’t punishment enough for Conway:
“Well, one guy’s got a broken jaw. That’s what I’m annoyed about. Surely there’s a duty of care? How is it not a high tackle when he clashed heads, and smashed him in his face with his head? We’re talking about seatbelt tackles, which are an absolute non-event. And a bloke’s got a broken jaw.”
Peter O’Mahony and Chris Cloete dominated the Tigers on the ground of that game, particularly in the opening half, with O’Connor labelling their breakdown work as “cynical”, adding he’s hopeful of receiving a “a reciprocal home game arrangement” this Sunday.
It may also be “cynical” to think this was all a deflection from a second Thomond Park battering in as many years for the Tigers.
The beauty of this tournament though is that they now have the chance to let that frustration fester for a week, before unleashing hell next Sunday. 12 months ago, Munster stuck 38 points on Leicester in a shutout at Thomond. before a last minute Owen Williams penalty ended their seven game winning run a week later.
Whether you agree or disagree with Matt O’Connor’s take on proceedings, every word of his press conference makes you more excited about what might take place in six days. Rounds three and four of the Champions Cup rarely disappoint.
It’s not the only game next weekend where short-held grudges can be settled. Clermont and Saracens meet this evening in their rescheduled Pool 2 fixture, with the French side already labelling the organisation of the game as “ridiculous and absurd” after the snow caused the original game to be put back by a day. They haven’t even kicked off their first game, and it’s shaping up to be a heavyweight prizefight. Throw in the scar-tissue of last season’s final at Murrayfield, and the return in France gets even tastier.
Imagine what it’ll be like by round two?
