'It’s a massive occasion' - Jimmy Duffy on Leinster tie at the Aviva

MUNSTER will be back in URC action this weekend when they travel to the capital to face Leinster in what is sure to be a mouth-watering clash on Lansdowne Road.

Munster come into the fourth round clash having lost, won and drawn their opening three fixtures, form that sees Clayton McMillan’s side sit ninth in the URC table, a point ahead of Saturday’s opponents.

The province are fresh off an emphatic 33-25 opening night Champions Cup victory over Racing 92 in Pairc Uí Chaoimh last weekend on what was an emotional occasion as it marked the tenth anniversary of Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley’s death.

Forwards Coach Jimmy Duffy is looking forward to Munster’s second inter-pro clash of the season and the Galway native is happy with how his side’s scrum has looked so far this season

“The players are working really, really hard, that’s number one. There’s good chat around it.

“We’re under no illusions that we’re up against the defending champions and an international scrum that’s going to be coming again on the weekend.

“It’s only early in the day, we’re making progress but we’ve a long way to go. We’re very aware of the threat that Leinster pose and they’ve got an extremely strong set-piece that we respect massively.”

Leinster were crowned 2026 URC champions in June at Croke Park, defeating the Bulls on a 36-7 win in Drumcondra.

Duffy says Munster have watched their neighbours closely and admits Leo Cullen’s side are ‘building nicely.’

Leinster also got off to a winning start in Europe last weekend, defeating Clermont Auvergne on a scoreline of 48-23.

“We’ve watched them closely the last number of weeks and they’re building nicely. They’ve got all their international players available

“They’ve put up a huge score on a very good Clermont side. We just have to be across our stuff and make sure that we are in a physical and mental state that has us ready for battle.

“We’re playing a bunch of players who are very experienced. We know that we’re going to have to be right on the money.

“It’s a massive occasion, it always is. We’ve got try and stay as focused as possible on what I can affect as a coach and let the players do their thing on the weekend.”

When asked about the possibility of there being a strong Munster back-row presence in the upcoming Irish squad, Duffy says it’s the ‘pinnacle’ of where players want to get to but admits it’s out of his and Munster’s control.

“You want people to progress and push on to the highest level. The number one thing we’re big on is making sure guys perform well for Munster and other other stuff outside of our remit can take care of itself.

“We can’t necessarily control that but these guys are working really, really hard to get better. That’s probably the biggest focus at the moment and stuff that happens after that is a bonus.

“It’s the pinnacle of where guys want to go to but we’re very conscious of staying very focused on playing well for Munster week in, week out,” he concluded.