Ulster's Roddy Grant embracing 'good challenge' with Munster

Transition has been the word most used to describe Munster under new coach Graham Rowntree.

They have lost six of their 10 games in the URC and sit 11th in the table, 12 points behind Ulster having played one more game.

Munster travel north after losing at home by a point to Leinster on Boxing night but Grant knows they have enough quality in their squad, especially up front, to turn their fortunes around quickly.

“They've always had a good pack for decades, two British Lions in Peter O'Mahony and Tadhg Beirne, two really good players who have played the last seven games in a row,” said Grant. “The dangerous thing for Munster is that when guys haven't played in the past, they step up and play really well, (Jack) O'Donoghue, for example.

“It's a good challenge with Munster.

"We'll back ourselves, we've gone well the last few times we've played, forward-wise.

“Like anything, you want good challenges, you want to play their best players and dominate the best players and best teams, stamp your authority and reputation on them...I hope they play, but that's up to them.”

Ulster have won the last two meetings between the two provinces and, despite the league positions and it being only Ulster’s third home game since October 8, Grant doesn’t feel there is any added pressure on the squad.

“Munster are always a tough side whether you play them home or away,” he said. “At home you want to win every game.

"Every team now is tough in the URC.

“It is great having Munster here and I am certainly looking forward to getting stuck into them here at home.

“I suppose it helps knowing that we have got that in our heads.

"But it really doesn’t count for much on the day.

"You have to deliver and it is a good challenge.”

Ulster produced another Jekyll and Hyde performance at Connacht when they nearly squandered a 14-point lead in the final stages and Grant is looking for a fully-focused 80-minute performance up next against Munster.

“There's something psychological, switching off momentum is a big thing in rugby,” said Grant. “Often you can't control momentum, you can control how you react to it by sticking to your processes and calmness as a group.

“There's been a couple things...Leinster, great first half bar the try before half-time and then La Rochelle, good second half.

“We've been trying to get that, we had a good start against Connacht and then, frustratingly, it was a poor back end to the game.

“They played well but when teams have momentum, it's inevitable.

“It's a contest, that's pro sport.

"You have mechanisms to get back into things and we struggled with that, as the score reflected.

“We're confident, we're going in the right direction, sometimes it takes a week here or there to click.

“Rarely you have all the ingredients at the same time to have an 80-minute performance and be as dominant as you can for the best parts of the game.

“There are some things tactically we've tried to work out and then, mindset-wise, we'll be looking forward to getting that in place against Munster.”