Eusebio Guinazu admits it would be a dream come true to represent Munster in a GUINNESS PRO12 final, but he is refusing to look past the challenge of Newport Gwent Dragons on Saturday. Munster welcome the Dragons to Irish Independent Park lying third in the GUINNESS PRO12 table with one game to go, level on points with the top two of Ospreys and Glasgow Warriors. A bonus-point victory for Munster with either Glasgow or Ospreys failing to match that would secure the Irishmen a home semi-final, while a failure to win by the Scottish or Welsh side would enable Munster to seal a top-two spot with any sort of victory. History is on the Munstermen’s side, having only ever lost to the Dragons on home soil once – in their very first meeting back in March 2004. The Welsh outfit will finish ninth in the final reckoning regardless of the outcome, but Guinazu, whose contract expires at the end of the season after joining Munster on a short-term deal in September, has warned against underestimating them. “It is their last game of the season. Sometimes, when you are that relaxed and don’t have much to play for, it is when you play really well,” the Argentine hooker told the Irish Independent. “We need to be really focused. They also want to finish the season off well. They will want to beat Munster – it will be a very tough game. “We need to make sure on Saturday that the job is done and then wait for other results as well. “I have really enjoyed playing for Munster. It is a weird thing – I have only been here for eight months, but I feel like I have been here for ages. “The guys make me feel so comfortable. I really love to play for this province. “The most responsible thing now is what is next, the Dragons, a semi-final and hopefully a final. It would be a dream for me to play in those kind of games for this team.” Munster head coach Anthony Foley makes five personnel changes ahead of the crucial clash with four of those coming in the pack. John Ryan and BJ Botha come into the front row with Billy Holland in at lock, while Paddy Butler packs down in the back row after Tommy O’Donnell was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a torn hamstring. In the backs, Simon Zebo has failed to fully recover from back spasms handing Ronan O’Mahony the opportunity to start. Meanwhile, the Dragons make three changes to the side that beat Edinburgh 19-5 last time out – hooker Hugh Gustafson making his first GUINNESS PRO12 start of the season being the headline. The half-back pairing is also completely changed with Jonathan Evans and Dorian Jones getting the nod as they try to record just a second win in their last nine clashes with Munster. And as they try to end their season on a high, head coach Kingsley Jones is adamant his troops have taken a step forward this term. “I think there has been progress this season. To get to a semi-final in Europe was a high point,” explained Jones. “It was a step in the right direction and the number of young players we've blooded this season has been a real positive. They're only going to get better so that's massive for us. “The first two months of the season were difficult for us and it took its toll on the squad. We had a lot of injuries and it set us back. “We took a little while to recover. But after that the European campaign was excellent for us and, since November, we've been pretty good with the exception of Edinburgh away and the Scarlets game.” At Irish Independent Park, 3pm Live on TG4 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (6th competition game) Assistant Referees: Dudley Phillips, Sean Gallagher (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: Eddie Walsh (IRFU) TMO: Kevin Beggs (IRFU) Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12
