Philippe Saint-Andre is wary of Munster
Toulon coach Philippe Saint-Andre believes that his side will face a tough test as they prepare to play an under siege Munster at Thomond Park Saturday, October 16.
The former French international says that his team is on a learning curve and though they have a number of world class players and huge financial resources, they are still an inexperienced team.
The Toulon coach said, “We are going to Thomond Park to learn. I’m sure the Munster guys will be angry. They play in front of their own fans, the stadium will be full and they have a lot to prove.”
He believes that Toulon will become a better side after experiencing the atmosphere and pressure while playing at Thomond Park.
“I know how they are going to play, they will try to intimidate us, the crowd will put pressure on the referee, so we will have to be at the top of our game if we are to manage to get something from this trip,” said Sant-Andre.
Toulon will start Felipe Contepomi at out half in place of Jonny Wilkinson who drops to the bench. The strength of their squad is the reason they have been tipped to challenge for the Heineken Cup.
Munster has lost their last two matches. They were defeated by rivals Leinster 13-9 and lost their opening Heineken Cup game to London Irish 23-17.
But Saint-Andre doesn’t believe that Munster is in difficulty or that they are a spent force.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s crunch game, the Toulon coach reminded everyone that critics have written of the Irish club before.
"People say that Munster are on the decline, but I don’t believe that. I remember hearing the same [thing] twice when I went there with Sale," said the Toulon boss.
Saint-Andre was referring to the 31-9 and 37-14 defeats at Munster’s home ground in 2005 and 2008 while he was in charge of Sale.
The former French international will be wary of Munster, who raises their game when they are the most vulnerable.
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