Kyriacou & Archer says Munster are “focusing things on us” as Leinster await in URC semi-finals | Press Pass

Kyriacou is hopeful that Peter O’Mahony can play some part with the Munster captain in a race against time after picking up an elbow injury.

Familiar foes face off this Saturday in the Aviva Stadium when Leinster welcome Munster in the URC semi-finals. Leinster have dominated the fixture in recent weeks and are heavily fancied to return to the final with the decider in the Champions Cup against La Rochelle still to come.

But Munster coach And Kyriacou says the southern province are focused on themselves ahead of meeting the juggernaut in Dublin on Saturday evening.

 I’ve got no idea what the what they’ve got planned. I know that they’ve got a very good squad, a lot of depth in that squad and whoever is out there you know, they’re gonna go 100% for Leinster. So look we’re not we’re not overly concerned.

“We’re just looking at the trends that Leinster put out there, analyzing them, being as prepared as possible for the game at the weekend and basically going out there and expressing ourselves. We’ve tried to focus things on us as much as possible.”

Munster booked their place in the final four with a hard fought win over Glasgow in Scoutstown over the weekend with Antoine Frisch and Malakai Fekitoa dotting down.

The latter is one of a number of injury casualties that Munster will have to contend with RG Snyman, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash and Fekitoa all ruled out due to HIA’s.

Tadhg Beirne returned to give a heroic 80 minute performance in his first appearance for the province since January and Kyriacou is hopeful that Peter O’Mahony can join him on the field with the Munster captain in a race against time after picking up an elbow injury.

“Look we’re just going to listen to what our medics are saying around that. We’ll keep assessing him, hour to hour, day-to-day and give them as much time as we can to hopefully get him through and get him playing. But we have to take the lead off what the medics and ultimately what his body tells us as we roll into the weekend.”

Munster will be up against it when faced with their interprovincial rivals as Leinster have only been beaten once this term, finishing eleven points clear at the top of the URC table.

They also saw off the Sharks with ease in their quarter-final, the same side that eliminated Munster from the champions cup. However, prop Stephen Archer is excited for the challenge and points to their recent encounters early this year as an indication of where the sides are with Leinster pipping the red men on both occasion, albeit the latter by just a solitary point in December

Archer is also hoping to use the experience of beating Glasgow at home in their quest to overturn Leinster in the Aviva.

“The two matches as you said were quite close this season and I think we’ve come on a lot as a team since then and obviously Leinster have drove on too, but we have to take a bit of confidence that we’re not a million miles off them.

“We know it’ll be a big test and we’re looking forward to the challenge. I suppose we’ve gone to some tough places and won which has been great and it’s obviously given us a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence and we’ll need that going to the Aviva.”

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Munster face Leinster in the URC semi-final this Saturday at 5.30pm in the Aviva Stadium.