Smarting Munster Rugby host Gloucester in crucial Champions Cup clash

MUNSTER Rugby will look to bounce back from their display against Bath which head coach Clayton McMillan labelled 'bordering on embarrassing' when hosting Glloucester in a crucial Investec Champions Cup clash at Páirc Uí Chaoimh this Saturday evening, 5.30pm, live on Premier Sport.

Munster shipped a heavy 40-14 loss to Premiership champions Bath at The Rec seven days ago and coach McMillan said the 'embarrassment has been sitting in the pit of the stomach' since that defeat to Johann van Graan's side. 

Speaking ahead of the big Champions Cup fixture with Gloucester, New Zealander McMillan said he was expecting a 'really positive response' from his charges at Cork GAAs headquarers on Saturday evening.

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McMillan said: “Clearly, we didn’t get anywhere near where we wanted to be in Bath last week, which was almost bordering on embarrassing for all of us.

“That embarrassment has been sitting in the pit of the stomach and there’s been a good energy around the park, and we know we’re not going to get anything for free this weekend. So, we need to see a response.”

“We enjoyed phenomenal support in Bath and that’s probably where the greatest embarrassment lay, that we gave them nothing to get excited about,” said McMillan.

“There’s an opportunity in front of us this week to earn a little bit of respect back. There’ll be a lot of people in the team who are proud Munster men but they’d almost argue they’d be prouder Cork men, so they’re fully fizzed and ready to go.

“Collectively, we just know what we’re capable of achieving and we’d be disappointed if we don’t give a performance this coming weekend.”

There are nine personnel changes and three positional switches to the Munster side that faced Bath last week.

The much-changed matchday squad for the visit of the Cherry and Whites to Leeside sees Young Munster tighthead prop Conor Bartley named among the replacements.

Former Castletroy College student Bartley is in line for his Champions Cup debut off the bench, having signed short-term deals last season before being added to the senior squad.

Thirty year-old Bartley made his URC debut when introduced off the bench against the Scarlets in the URC in September.

This will be the first time in 23 years for Munster to play a Champions Cup fixture in Cork.

Gloucester Director of Rugby George Skivington has rested his entire starting XV from their 34-13 opening round win over Castres for Saturday's trip to Cork.

MUNSTER RUGBY: Mike Haley; Shane Daly, Dan Kelly, Alex Nankivell, Ben O’Connor; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Michael Milne, Niall Scannell, Michael Ala’alatoa; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (Captain); Tom Ahern, Jack O’Donoghue, Gavin Coombes. Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, Conor Bartley, Edwin Edogbo, Ruadhán Quinn, Paddy Patterson, JJ Hanrahan, Tom Farrell.

GLOUCESTER: George Barton; Josh Hathaway, Will Knight, Max Knight, Rob Russell; Charlie Atkinson, Mike Austin; Dian Bleuler, Jack Innard, Jamal Ford-Robinson; Cam Jordan, Arthur Clark (Captain); Josh Basham, Harry Taylor, Jack Clement. Replacements: Kealan Freeman Price, Ciaran Knight, Afolabi Fasogbon, Danny Eite, Hugh Bokenham, Caio James, Rhys Price, Jack Cotgreave.

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales).