Nervous wait for Munster with two 'massive' games ahead

Eddie O'Sullivan and Bernard Jackman are both predicting a nervous final 10 days of the URC regular season for Munster, as they look to secure Champions Cup rugby for next season.

Graham Rowntree's side are fifth in the table heading into their final two games of the season, with the province taking on the Stormers and Sharks, both in South Africa.

With Cardiff the highest ranked Welsh team back in 10th place, it means a top seven finish will likely be required in order to secure Champions Cup rugby, while a top-six finish may be required if either of Benetton or Scarlets win the Challenge Cup.

One win should be enough to see them book their Champions Cup slot, but it's a task easier said than done, with the Stormers winning 10 out of 10 at home this season in all competitions, while the Sharks were 50-35 winners against Munster last week in the Heineken Champions Cup.

And with both of the South African sides being beaten in the Champions Cup quarter-finals last week, O'Sullivan believes they'll be fully focused on the URC.

"I think the really bad news for Munster was that the Stormers and Sharks got beaten last weekend. They're out of Europe now so their only focal point is the URC," he told the RTÉ Rugby podcast.

And having shipped 130 points in their last three games, O'Sullivan says Munster will have to get a grip on their defence if they're to stand any chance of picking up wins in Cape Town or Durban.

"You can't ignore the fact that the Munster defence has gone off a cliff. They shipped 80 points in the last two URC matches, and another 50 against the Sharks, so I just think that they need to tidy up their defence.

"It's a defence that worked most of the season for them. They were second in the URC in terms of defensive