Pelous wary of Munster
Toulouse captain ful of praise for Irish province
Last updated: 22nd May 2008
Pelous: Expecting a hard game
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Toulouse captain Fabien Pelous has admitted his side's Heineken Cup opponents Munster "do not have many deficiencies" ahead of Saturday's showdown.
Toulouse go in to the final having lifted the title three times, with Pelous skippering them to victory in 2003 and 2005.
However having lost to Munster in the past and seen the Irish province add the talents of Doug Howlett, Rua Tipoki and Lifeimi Mafi to a backline marshalled by Ronan O'Gara, Pelous knows that his side face a tough battle at the Millennium Stadium.
"I remember the two meetings we have had with them in semi-finals, one at Le Stadium - where we won by a very narrow margin - and then the other semi-final in Bordeaux when they beat us," he said.
Experience
"Munster are a team of much the same quality and standing as ourselves on the European level. They have played a huge number of matches, they have plenty of experience and - just like us - they have a tremendous relationship with a tournament which has been so successful for them.
"We have an enormous respect for Munster because, whatever happens, they are always present in those big events and they are always massively efficient in the competition.
"And it is as a team as a whole they have to be watched so carefully, not just some key players.
"They used to have the reputation of having a game largely based on their all-conquering forwards but I think they have now added other skills to their game.
"In particular, they now have a back division that is far more competitive and dangerous, but, just reaching the final shows they do not have many deficiencies.
"So I think it could all come down to who holds their focus and concentration the better both in our preparations and on the day."
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Guinness Premiership | |
| Saturday 22nd November | |
| 13:00 | Northampton vs Bath |
| 15:00 | Leicester vs Harlequins |
| Sunday 23rd November | |
| 15:00 | Wasps vs Sale |
| 15:00 | London Irish vs Saracens |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Guinness Premiership | |
| Friday 21st November | |
| Gloucester 39 - 10 Bristol | |
| Worcester 26 - 11 Newcastle | |
| Sunday 16th November | |
| Newcastle 8 - 24 London Irish | |
| Saracens 21 - 25 Gloucester | |
| Harlequins 32 - 10 Wasps | |
| Bristol 14 - 13 Northampton | |
| Saturday 15th November | |
| Bath 25 - 21 Leicester | |
| Friday 14th November | |
| Sale 9 - 17 Worcester | |
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Comments
Tommy Sheahan says...
Munster have had the best pack in the Heineken cup for a long time. Now we have the backs to match and if the Holy trinity of Tipoki, Mafi and Howlett are up for it then i dont think Toulouse stand a chance. Nothings gonna stand in the way of the red army.
Posted 10:10 23rd May 2008
Numa Bertrand says...
To close to call? Not so sure... Just have a look at the skysports.com poll, almost 75% of the readers see Munster winning over Toulouse. It is certainly more a call from the heart than a realistic sport analysis. With Pelous and Wallace sending flowers to each other you could also think that even the players have doubts about the outcome of this game. Let's be serious; a majority of people knows that Toulouse is the best on paper. They proved that over the years and especially during this year TOP 14 and HCup campain. Toulouse has the team to easily beat Munster this week end. Toulouse front 8 might suffer at time but if O'GARA is looked after, they'll clinch their fourth HCup.
Posted 17:12 22nd May 2008
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