United Rugby Championship: Stephen Larkham wants Munster to stick to their guns against Ulster

Munster attack coach Stephen Larkham says it is crucial for his side to play their natural game when they face rivals Ulster in the quarter-finals of the United Rugby Championship.

The Limerick men beat Ulster 24-17 in Belfast the last time the two teams met and will need to replicate that powerful performance this weekend to advance in the play-offs.

The Wallaby legend believes that controlling the ball and territory is crucial against Ulster

whilst also being wary of their strong set-piece.

“We’ve got to make sure that we play the game that we want to play,” said Larkham.

“We felt that we did that the last time we played against them, we felt that we controlled the territory quite well, we held the ball when we needed to hold the ball and we transferred the ball when we felt we didn’t have good momentum.

“So it’s going to be much of the same for us, making sure that our process, our systems are consistent throughout the game and we’re very conscious of their set-piece, their breakdown pressure and their kicking game.”

Larkham says his team have touched on the various permutations and what that will mean for the club after the quarter-finals.

“We’ve spoken about the possibilities of what’s going to happen after this weekend (if Munster beat Ulster) but we don’t know so there’s no point harping on that,” he added. “Guys will be ready to, you know, we’ll have a day in between where guys can pack if we have to go to South Africa or if we have to go to Edinburgh, that will be later in the week so it’s not such a big issue.”

However, Larkham knows that play-off rugby can be ruthless, and the mindset has to be honed on the next game only.

“But finals footy is always the same. You concentrate on the next game and we’ve been