"Knowing Northampton well makes you realise how good they are" says Munster Rugby's Conor Murray

"IT'S almost dangerous going into the game thinking that you know Northampton because they have so many variations and ball players that can attack you in different ways. We have played them so many times before and you can always focus on them but we are choosing to look at ourselves. We have to show up and play the game we want on Saturday."

These were Munster Rugby scrum-half Conor Murray's thoughts ahead of the province's last group game of the Investec Champions Cup against old rivals Northampton Saints this Saturday afternoon in Franklin's Gardens at 3:15pm. 

Murray played his first full game of rugby for Munster since October, in the win against Saracens in Thomond Park over the weekend.

Speaking at the Munster press conference earlier this week, the Irish International scrum-half spoke about his eagerness to get back on the pitch.

"I've been out for a while and I was really keen to get back fit and I managed to do that. I loved the build up to the Saracens game and being able to play the full 80-minutes in Thomond Park was fantastic. It's all steam ahead now for this weekend."

Munster produced a terrific second-half comeback to get the victory over Saracens and Murray looked sharp at the ruck, pushing the men in red forward in attack at a rapid pace.

More of the same will be needed against Northampton, a side known for their lethal attacking skills and ability to score from anywhere on the pitch.

The last time the sides met was in the Top 16 of the Champions Cup last season, the Saints ran out the eventual 24-14 winners, ending Munster's hope of progressing any further in the competition. 

These memories could linger for players who were involved in the disheartening defeat last year, but Conor insists that chat about last year's encounter with the same opponents is at a minimum.

"That kind of talk about us owning them one and things like that don't get spoke about, it's a bit more professional than that. I think lads might be personally hurting and it could be in the back of people's minds but the preparation for the game remains the same and we have huge respect for them they are a top side."