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Bernard Jackman thinks Munster could break the form book against Leinster in the Guinness Pro14 semi-final, as long as they bring in the right game plan.
The reigning champions have not lost a game all year and have won eight of the last nine meetings between the Irish rivals.
However, former Leinster and Ireland hooker Jackman believes that tomorrow’s contest (7.35pm, live on RTÉ Radio 1) is far from a foregone conclusion.
“I think Munster has a chance,” he told the RTÉ Rugby Podcast. “I don’t think they are a million miles behind Leinster.
“A change of course of five days will not have such a big effect on them.
“Sort of like an out of shape forward, Munster only needs one to come in from behind and get a win either way.
“I think this is the Leinster final. They could go very strong this week and possibly make some changes next week for a final (against Edinburgh or Ulster) if they are lucky enough to get through it.”
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Leinster topped Munster 27-25 a fortnight ago, in the first Pro14 game since the pandemic, but Jackman saw enough in that performance and the subsequent win over Connacht to see a path to victory for the underdog.
“What’s scary for Munster is that they came very close to beating Leinster on the final day, but Leinster’s lineout was not good in the first half, they were very poor under the high ball and Munster did a job with them on the break. “, said. said.
“There are three really strong areas for Munster and they still couldn’t beat Leinster. So obviously that’s not a good sign.
“Having said that, losing (RG) Snyman, ending up with a center playing on the back line and his third-choice head loose having to play 70 minutes, there are many reasons why they weren’t as clinical as they needed to be – to be .
“And I think they looked better against Connacht, even though Connacht was poor.
“Laws now favor the jackaler more than the attacking side”
“Munster has to get back in the air again, kick the contenders and make it really awkward for (Jordan) Larmour or whoever plays in the bottom three for Leinster. If you kick it long, you won’t see the ball again for a while.
“Kick-chase, make a mess in the breakup. In Tadhg Beirne, Chris Cloete, CJ Stander, Peter O’Mahony, they have four world-class jacklers. That has to be an area of strength.
“Even if Leinster will be better at the breakout and they know what’s coming, it doesn’t matter. The laws now favor the jackler more than the attacking side.
“They have to be able to play the maul effectively and try to get a little more of (Andrew) Conway and (Keith) Earls out of the bands.”
Follow the Pro14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster (7.35pm on Friday) with our live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app or listen to the commentary live on RTÉ Radio 1.
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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