Tadhg Beirne has barely met Donnacha Ryan but will get up close and personal with the former Munster ace at Thomond Park tomorrow.
Beirne is set to start his first game for the province since returning from the World Cup and after coming off the bench to help the Reds secure last week's last-gasp bonus point win at Ospreys.
The Kildare man has only shaken hands and had a brief word with Ryan when, two and a half years ago, Beirne's Scarlets team beat Ryan's Munster in the PRO12 final.
"Apart from that I wouldn’t have crossed paths with him," admitted Beirne.
Both have moved on in their careers - Ryan, immediately afterwards, to Racing, while a year later Beirne returned to Ireland to join Munster.
But the 27-year-old, who can play in the second row or back row, knows all about the influence Ryan has exerted at the Parisien club.
"The lads said that his work ethic and his knowledge around lineout and all that kinda stuff is second to none, and he’s definitely probably changed that for Racing and put his mark on it," said Beirne.
"Credit to him and I’m sure he’ll still remember a lot about the Munster lineout, so it’s going to be important to manipulate it a little bit against them.
“I think their lineout defence is one of the most impressive I’ve seen in a long time.
"They seem to disrupt a lot of lineouts, not just in the Champions Cup but also in the Top 14 so that’s definitely one of their strongest points and an area that we will definitely have a massive focus on.
“Then they have individuals that can just turn something out of nothing. That’s something that we definitely have to stay alive for and be ready for. That’s going to be a big challenge.
"You look at Racing's record in Europe the last few years - two finals in four years? So they seem to turn it on for sure when they come to Europe.
"It’s probably something they definitely strive for, to win Europe, so they’ll have a massive focus on this and it’s definitely going to be a step up."
Beirne, who left Scarlets to pursue his World Cup dream, is keen to move on from what unfolded in Japan.
"Champions Cup is the biggest stage for club rugby so it’s massively exciting for Munster, massively exciting to be part of that," he said.
"There’s no point in dwelling on the past, being in Japan, because once you come in here your only focus is Munster.
"We started off really well last week getting the bonus point. We’ll definitely look to continue that.
“Home games are always crucial in Europe, and especially now. It’s going to be huge to get the victory".
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