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'Munster are a tough proposition but we know how to win,' says Leicester’s Ben Youngs

Ben Youngs is optimistic about Leicester's chances on Saturday - Getty Images Europe
Ben Youngs is optimistic about Leicester's chances on Saturday - Getty Images Europe

Anybody unsure of how to get to Thomond Park should ask Leicester Tigers for directions. Tomorrow’s game marks the third year in a row that the two-time European champions have made the trip to Limerick to face Munster, to a ground where they were utterly humiliated 12 months ago almost to the day.

“We have been there the last two years in a row and had one win [31-19 in 2015] and one battering,” Leicester’s Ben Youngs admitted this week.

Munster’s 38-0 win last year might have been headlined by Conor Murray’s audacious assist for Simon Zebo’s try, but it was really an exhibition of physical dominance, blowing Leicester out of the water in every contact and at every breakdown.

Leicester missed 18 tackles; Munster just two. Three yellow cards to Ed Slater, Manu Tuilagi and George Worth hardly helped. Then again, Munster were on a mission regardless of what was in front of them. There is intensity at the top level of the European game, and then there is Munster at Thomond Park.

“There is something unique about the atmosphere,” Youngs says. “You know it’s coming and yet it is still hard to deal with. You don’t have too much time to reflect during the game, it just felt as though you were chasing the next shadow. You come off the park and you are blown away by the other time, reflecting on what could be done better. That day Munster were on a wave. With the passing of Anthony Foley they were in a very emotional, passionate state. We weren’t able to deal with them, simple as that. We did not throw anything at them that threatened them, and we certainly could not handle what they threw at us.”

Jaco Taute 
Jaco Taute touches down in Munster's 38-0 mauling over Leicester last December

And yet Leicester will have to find a way to mute Munster and their supporters if they want their bright start to this season’s Champions Cup to continue. With both England against Ireland, and Leicester, Youngs has felt the volume of that Irish atmosphere, putting him in a better position than most to know how to get on top of it. If only it were that straightforward.

“Whether it’s any English club against an Irish province, there is that element of passion,” Youngs explains. “The Irish teams feed off any scraps and are extremely good at the unseen stuff that might not be top of the priorities list but remain important: chasing kicks, jackling at the breakdown. If you are inaccurate in those areas then the crowd gets excited and they get on the front foot. You have to be on it in terms of your areas. If the first scrum penalty goes to them, everyone is on their feet and it oozes out of them. It is really important that we get all our little details right. They will draw off those inaccuracies and from the crowd.”

Leicester, for their part, were all at sea off the field when they made last year’s trip to Ireland. Defence coach Scott Hansen had been sacked in October. Richard Cockerill, then the club’s long-term director of rugby, was shown the door three weeks after the Limerick hammering, ending an eight-year spell in charge.

“Where we were at as a club performance-wise, and the coaching structure, was moving about a bit. There were a lot of distractions,” Youngs admits. “We were in a bit of a pickle in terms of trying to qualify [for the knockout stages] whereas this time both of us are on level points.”

Mick Cleary's autumn international series XV
Mick Cleary's autumn international series XV

Now under director of rugby Matt O’Connor, they have more in their locker with which to attack Munster in the next two matches. The message laid down at the start of this campaign was that the club’s performances in Europe last season, including the Munster loss and a 43-0 defeat at home by Glasgow Warriors, were entirely unacceptable.

Youngs and wing Adam Thompstone are the only survivors in the back line from the 38-0 result and, despite the absence this time of first-choice centres Matt Toomua and Manu Tuilagi, Leicester’s attack now packs considerably more punch.

“Last year there were two to three big defeats,” Youngs said. “We spoke about how we wanted to address that and to give a better account of ourselves.

“We have a lot more threat. Jonny [May] with his ability and pace out wide can be attributes that are hard [for other teams] to deal with. Telusa [Veainu] when given space and time is a deadly runner, while George [Ford] is there pulling the strings and a huge part of what we do. I feel like we have more firepower.

“That is all very well to say, though. We have to get in the right areas, treasure the ball when we have it to get those runners into the game.”

Youngs and Leicester know the blueprint to winning on Saturday. That, however, is the easy part.