However, before Munster can take a little of the pressure off going into the highly anticipated visit of the Leicester Tigers to Thomond Park, there's still the small matter of Bourgoin. Although you'd put your monthly pay cheque on them rolling over, they at least have the potential to make this game somewhat awkward. They're physical, certainly, and if they can, as one television pundit so unfortunately put it recently, force the visitors into making unforced errors, Declan Kidney's side could be in for a more difficult afternoon than most people realise. Just last week, for example, the French side beat Top 14 leaders Biarritz 9-0 at Stade Pierre Rajon, which certainly proves they can play a bit, as they also showed for a decent proportion of their 41-23 defeat to Munster in Limerick back in October.

All that considered, you can't help thinking the shifting of this game from their passionate little ground in Bourgoin, where Munster lost 21-6 back in 1997, to the rather plush 30,000-capacity Stade de Geneve, will take a little bite from the home side's bark and this game is set up nicely for Munster.

The loss of Trevor Halstead is a considerable blow, and with Lifeimi Mafi replacing him in the number-12 shirt, Munster will have to adapt their back-line plans accordingly. The South African's hard running ability, allied to his ability to offload in the tackle with unerring frequency, has been a key component in the province's game plan over the past 18 months but, in his absence, it's likely ball-carrying forwards such as David Wallace, Paul O'Connell and Denis Leamy, if fit, will assume the responsibility of getting Munster over the gain line. Only then, will Mafi, Murphy and the others get their hands on the ball.

Which is probably the most sensible way to go about things anyway. A sticky outfit like Bourgoin have to be beaten up front first, and the fourtry bonus point most people expect Munster to achieve will only come if they win the forward contest.

Watch out for Ronan O'Gara's second successful kick this afternoon, a feat that will put him past the 300 mark in this competition, and also take note that a victory in Switzerland will represent Munster's 13th straight Heineken Cup win, a record that stretches back to the defeat in their pool game against Sale way back in October 2005. It's a number that's traditionally unlucky for some, but with their Heineken Cup heads screwed on, and a travelling support of 2,000 to ensure they don't get complacent, you can see nothing other than a Munster victory.

BOURGOIN F Denos; S Finau, G Bousses, R Coetzee, Y David; S Laloo, M Parra; O Milloud, R Vigneaux, P Cardinali, B Williams, J Pierre, B Monzeglio, W Jooste, J Bonnaire (c) MUNSTER S Payne; J Kelly, B Murphy, L Ma", I Dowling; R O'Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell (c), M O'Driscoll, D Wallace, D Leamy