Craig Casey braced for battle in Munster clash with Benetton

May 14, 2025

Craig Casey says it would be inconceivable for Munster to miss out on a Champions Cup spot ahead of a crunch clash with Benetton.

It’s braced to be a cracker on Friday night in Cork as the two sides do battle with everything on the line.

The victor for either will ensure their play-off spot in the BKT URC and book their place in the Champions Cup next season. A defeat will leave either team with nothing.

Benetton currently sit seventh, level on points with Munster in eighth. Their opponents head into the contest on the back of a hugely impressive 33-7 victory over Glasgow and have a squad littered with Italian internationals.

Casey says the prospect of missing out on the Champions Cup for the first time in 30 years is intense, but they’re ready to deal with it in front of a packed house. He said: “There’s no point shying away from the pressure.

“Pressure is probably a privilege in this scenario. We’re four games from a trophy, so if you’re being weighed down by pressure you’re probably in the wrong business.

“We’re under no illusions as to how hard this week is going to be. They had an unbelievable result last week against Glasgow, so they’ll be coming in full of life and energy.

“Their head coach is leaving at the end of the season, so they’ve high motivation to send him off well. It’s going to be a tough challenge. We know exactly what we’re playing for so that’s always a good thing.

“A sell-out in Cork and the weather is good, the buzz will surely be good down there, and we’re buzzing for it.”

Speaking at an event for sports recovery company C11, Casey added: “It would be inconceivable not to be there [Champions Cup]. We’ve got to show up this weekend and do ourselves justice and then it’s knock-out rugby from then on, and you’ve got a chance to win a trophy.

“They’re pretty much an Italian international side. You can only just look at that [Glasgow] game and go, ‘wow, they’re dangerous if we let them be’. So, we’re under no illusions as to how tough this game will be.

“The two threats they have in midfield are unbelievable players. [Tommaso] Menoncello is one of the best players in the world over the last few years as is [Nacho] Brex, his partner in crime. If you give them time on the ball and you let them drive at you, we’re probably going to be in trouble.

“So, it’s going to be about how we get our game going but also how we nullify their key threats.”

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