A bonus-point win over Cardiff Rugby on Judgement Day last weekend secured a quarter-final play-off against the team that finished on top of the BKT United Rugby Championship table and Booth wants his players to make the bookies see as a shot to nothing in Limerick.
“We’ve got a chance, and you’ll be glad to know it’s higher than the two percent being predicted. If we’re looking for inspiration, then funnily enough it is probably Munster last year,” said Ospreys head coach, Booth.
“They were a team that was written off a long way through the season, but when it comes down to this part of the campaign it’s about people that execute on the day. If you look at their run in last year, which we all watched and actually supported because it was a bit of an underdog story, it is different to now.
“They aren’t the underdogs anymore, they’re the favourites. They just showed us all last year that if you get it right on the day you’ve always got a chance – that’s what knock-out rugby is all about.”
It will be the 48th competitive fixture between the two teams stretching back to 2003, when the Ospreys were formed, and Munster have won 30 of them with another match drawn. The last Ospreys win at Thomond Park was on 27 September 2014, although they triumphed in Cork the season after.
They also won 18-10 at home in the 2021-22 season, so many of Booth’s team will have experienced what it takes to beat the URC title holders.
“We’ve got ourselves to the window of opportunity, and we’re excited about it. It’s about understanding the challenge that awaits from the occasion, as much as the rugby itself,” added Booth.
“Dealing with the occasion is definitely a challenge. It’s something we’ve talked about, and how we get to show our best. That’s not always easy when you’re playing against the very best.
“You have to understand you’re not always going to get your own way, and sometimes you’re going to suffer and will have to just hang in there for a bit. It’s a six-day turnaround for both sides, other than they’re over there and won’t be travelling.
“We’re in knockout rugby and we know that it’s often about who does what on the day – there are no second chances. We learned that against Gloucester, and that was good to experience for us.
“Above anything else, we’ve got to make sure that we’re robust. That will give us the very best chance. You’ve got to dare to dream. Our goals at the start of the season were to get to the URC play-offs and to get to the knockout stages of Europe. With winning the Welsh Shield, those were our three objectives.
“We’ve achieved all three, which fills me with pride. Now we want to stretch our targets. Now we are here, let’s swing for the fence
“We’re a tight-knit group that look after each other. We’re going to Munster this weekend to face a very, very strong team – they’re the current champions, they finished top of the league and have a high number of players in the Irish squad – but we’re going to give it a good go.”
