Cavalry arrive just in time to give Munster a chance but Toulon have the muscle to wrestle a home win

Munster’s last defeat in Toulon was so seismic that it felt like the curtain coming down on an era.

Leinster got the ball rolling in 2009 but by the time Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara and friends met the weight of Europe’s big-spending coming force in 2011, they knew their time was up.

The loss condemned Munster to the Challenge Cup, an ignonimious route for a team used to the sharp end of what was still the Heineken Cup.

Twelve years on, the two teams reconvene on the Cote d’Azur as the fifth and sixth-ranked sides in a six-team pool.

They have as many European titles between them as points on the board, and yet both were tipped to be the teams who battled it out at the other end of this pool.

Both sides have been hit by surprises in the games so far, Munster didn’t see Bayonne coming and then got sucker-punched by Exeter Chiefs.

Toulon, meanwhile, were beaten by last-gasp scores by two English sides that leave them needing results against Munster and Glasgow to progress.

They both started the tournament tipped as outsiders who could win it, Toulon having built themselves back up in the years since owner Mourad Boudjellal moved on and the Gallacticos retired – and Munster playing a new, exciting style based around a home-grown bunch of talented youngsters.

It is the battle between the Challenge Cup holders and the URC champions, both teams looking to use those trophy wins as a springboard on to bigger and better things.

​Defeat isn’t quite the end for either given there’s a Challenge Cup spot on offer for the fifth-ranked team in the pool, but both have bigger ambitions than that and neither want to be reliant on results elsewhere next week.

The return of Peter O’Mahony, Niall Scannell, Alex Nankivell and Joey Carbery helps Graham Rowntree’s cause, but a look at the hosts’ team-sheet is an indicator that they are taking this very seriously indeed.

They may not have the star power of old but this Toulon side have all the trademarks of a team that can get on top of Irish opposition at home.

Their tight-five is monstrous, their back-row strong even without the influential Charles Ollivon, who is out injured.

Behind the scrum, they have the control of current Scotland scrum-half Ben White and Wales great Dan Biggar, while they have a host of Pacific Island power in the three-quarters with Fiji captain Waisale Nayacalevu offering the full package and the brilliance of Melvyn Jaminet pulling the strings and kicking goals from full-back. On the bench, they’ve got power and quality and they’ll look to dominate physically across 80 minutes.

Although they’ve got some bodies back, Munster would have liked a few more big hitters in their tight-five. Still, the combination of Scannell and O’Mahony should go a long way to fixing their lineout and, even without the formal captaincy, the blindside flanker’s leadership is a real asset on his first appearance since October.

Tom Ahern’s return to the second-row affords Gavin Coombes the opportunity to play his best rugby from No 8, while Carbery offers them experience and options from the bench.

Nankivell is a big addition to their backline and they’ll look to stay true to their style by running Toulon off the park, with Jack Crowley back from his short break.

If the forwards can deliver him the ball, then his option-taking can unlock the Toulon defence.

If their lineout doesn’t improve, then they’ll be in trouble. You can’t beat teams like these without a flow of good possession out of touch.

Victory would rank up there with some of Munster’s best days in Europe but they’ve yet to win away from Limerick or Cork this season.

They should be fresher after a weekend off but the hosts still look the better bet.

Verdict: Toulon

RC TOULON: M Jaminet; J Wainiqolo, W Nayacalevu, D Paia’a, L Fainga’anuku; D Biggar, B White; D Priso, C Tolofua, K Brookes; M Halagahu, D Ribbans (capt); C du Preez, S Tolofua, F Isa. Reps: J Singleton, B Devaux, B Gigashvili, B Alainu’uese, J Coulon, J Danglot, J Sinzelle, S Tuicuvu.

MUNSTER: S Zebo; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey; J Loughman, N Scannell, J Ryan; T Ahern, T Beirne (capt); P O’Mahony, J Hodnett, G Coombes. Reps: E Clarke, J Wycherley, S Archer, B Gleeson, A Kendellen, C Murray, J Carbery, S O’Brien. REF: N Amashukeli (Georgia)