It's a massive weekend for Munster, as they face old foes Northampton with their Champions Cup knockout fate on the line.
The knockout lineup will be decided on the final weekend of pool stage action, with Munster strongly placed to progress to the last 16.
They still have a job to do in Northampton, and will hope for a massive result on the road against the team who knocked them out of last year's competition.
We have all the info you need on Northampton v Munster.
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Northampton v Munster: All you need to know
When is Northampton v Munster?
Northampton host Munster at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday, January 18th. Kick-off is at 3:15pm Irish time.
How to watch Northampton v Munster
The match will be broadcast live on Premier Sports. Coverage from Franklin's Gardens gets underway at 3pm on Premier Sports 2 (channel 420 on a Sky box).
Permutations
Northampton have already qualified for the knockout stages, while Munster's spot is all but confirmed.
A highly unlikely set of results would be required for Munster to be eliminated, with the Irish side requiring only a single point from Saturday's game to secure their place in the last 16.
Home advantage is crucial in the Champions Cup and, should Munster top the pool, they would be guaranteed to play at home up to the quarter-final stage. They will be guaranteed to finish ahead of Northampton should they win, but they will need a bonus point (and potentially the help of points difference) to guarantee they top the group ahead of Saracens should Sarries defeat Castres.
You can read our full detailed breakdown of the permutations facing down both Munster and Leinster right here.
Team news
Munster
The big news from Munster's team announcement is the return of Peter O'Mahony after an injury layoff.
The boost of O'Mahony's return is balanced by the injury blows to John Hodnett and Shane Daly forcing them to miss out on the matchday 23. Diarmuid Kilgallen makes his debut for the province on the wing.
Munster's starting XV in full is: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Rory Scannell, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Crowley, Conor Murray; Dian Bleuler, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne (captain); Peter O'Mahony, Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes
𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 💥
3⃣ Three changes
🔙Peter O'Mahony returns from injury
✊Diarmuid Kilgallen's competitive debut
We head to Northampton for Round 4 ✊#SUAF 🔴 | #NORvMUN— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) January 17, 2025
Northampton
Northampton have made six changes to the team that lost to Stade Francais last weekend.
The Northampton team in full for Saturday's game is: James Ramm; Tommy Freeman, Fraser Dingwall (captain), Rory Hutchinson, Tom Seabrook; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Tarek Haffar, Curtis Langdon, Trevor Davison; Alex Coles, Tom Lockett; Josh Kemeny, Tom Pearson, Juarno Augustus
Crunch time.
Here are your Saints to face Munster in the Investec @ChampionsCup tomorrow 😇https://t.co/Ah10HhrMLl pic.twitter.com/y1knEIjUu1— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) January 17, 2025