Munster v Connacht | Key players and stats

Jack Crowley will make his 50th Munster appearance when they play Connacht in round 16 of the URC. He will have his hands full as Bundee Aki and Tom Farrell continue the centre pairing for Connacht.

-Connacht’s 20% win rate against Munster is their lowest against any side they’ve faced on three or more occasions in the United Rugby Championship.

-Each of the last four URC matches between Munster and Connacht at Thomond Park have been decided by margins of just seven points or fewer, with Munster winning three times during that period and Connacht winning once.

Strengths

-Only Glasgow Warriors (1.5) have conceded fewer tries per game than Munster (2.1) in the URC this season

-Connacht have stolen more opposition lineouts per game than any other team in the URC this season (1.6)

Weakness

-Only the Stormers (15.5) have conceded more turnovers per game than Munster (14.9) in this season’s URC

-Munster have conceded a greater share of their total tries in the final 20 minutes of games than any other side in the URC this season (39%).

-Only Ulster (79.7%) and Scarlets (80.1%) have a lower lineout success rate in the URC this season than Connacht (82.1%).

Key Players

-Munster’s Gavin Coombes has made at least 32 more carries than any other player in the URC this season (195) and has made more metres in contact than any other player in the league this term (264).

-Connacht’s Shamus Hurley-Langton (188) and Munster’s Gavin Coombes (185) have made more tackles than any other players in this season’s URC

-Only Vaea Fifita (15) has stolen more opposition lineouts than Connacht’s Niall Murray (9) in the URC this season.