Munster travel to Treviso Italy this Saturday to take on Benetton in Round 13 of the United Rugby Championship. Seventh-place Munster will be hungry for a win against sixth-place Benetton, who lie just one point ahead of them in the table after 12 games. Both teams will be competing for prime position in the standings as we begin the final third of the season and both teams are aiming to be in the last eight. We have all the info on how to watch Munster this weekend right here.
When is Munster v Benetton?
The game kicks off at 14:30 Irish time on Saturday 28th of January at the Stadio Monigo in Treviso.
How to watch Munster v Benetton?
Benetton v Munster is being broadcast live on TG4. Coverage begins at 14:25 for the 14:30 kick-off.
Form guide
Munster sit just one place and one point behind Benetton in sixth and seventh respectively. Both teams will be eager for the win as the Sharks who lie in eight are just one and two points behind them with two games in hand. From their 12 games, Benetton have won Seven against Munster's six. However Munster, despite a rocky start to the season have now won four of their last five URC games, with that loss coming against 1st place Leinster by just a point. They come into this fixture off the back of a spirited performance with plenty of positives against Toulouse away last weekend. They scored a serious contender for try of the season and Tadgh Beirne received plaudits across social media for his genius around the ruck.
Benetton are also coming into this game in good form looking to build on a three-match winning streak and also with four wins in the last five games. With relatively similar form so far this season very little separates the two teams, however, Benetton have struggled in defence throughout the season, conceding 330 points to Munster's 198. This is an area Graham Rowntree will be looking for his team to exploit and punish come Saturday.
These two teams last met in the same competition in March last year where Munster ran out convincing winners after a 29 point thrashing. This year's fixture is set up to be a much more competitive encounter. With both teams fighting for their place in the last 8 of the competition and both teams coming into the game in form, the match is set up to be a great 80 minutes of rugby.
22 January 2023; Ben Healy of Munster in action against David Ainu'u, left, and Pierre-Louis Barassi of Toulouse during the Heineken Champions Cup Pool B Round 4 match between Toulouse and Munster at Stade Ernest Wallon in Toulouse, France. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Team news
With many of Munster's starters like Casey and O'Mahony away on international camp in Portugal, Munster have named a much-changed team from last week's encounter with Toulouse with eight changes. Niall Scannell will captain the side for just the second time in his career, while Joey Carberry and Ben Healy will both line out for their 50th Munster caps. The full Munster team is:
15. Shane Daly 14.Calvin Nash 13.Antoine Frisch, 12. Malakai Fekitoa, 11. Liam Coombes, 10. Joey Carberry, 9. Paddy Patterson; 1. Josh Wycherley, 2. Niall Scannell (captain), 3. Roman Salanoa, 4. Jean Kleyn, 5. Fineen Wycherley, 6. Jack O'Sullivan, 7. John Hodnett, 8. Alex Kendellen
Benetton have named 13 changes to their team from last week's Challenge Cup game with Stade Francais. Number 11 Belini and full-back Smith will be the only two players to start both games with scrum-half Duvenage set to captain the Italian side.
🦁 I 23 #Leoni scelti per la sfida di domani contro @Munsterrugby
🏆 13º Round @URCOfficial
📅 28.01.2023
⌚️ 15:30 🇮🇹
🏟️ Stadio Monigo di Treviso
📱 #BENvMUN
🖥 @Eurosport_IT 2#wearelions #biancoverdi pic.twitter.com/92TGUMM7Li— Benetton Rugby 🦁 (@BenettonRugby) January 27, 2023
That's all the info you need for how to watch Munster this Saturday in the URC.
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