Saints boss Dowson knows Munster will raise their game at the Gardens

And the Saints boss is expecting another good battle with the Irish giants.

Munster only narrowly slipped to defeat last Sunday, suffering an 18-13 loss to Toulouse at Thomond Park.

Graham Rowntree's side have been improving in recent weeks and know, like Saints, who lost at La Rochelle last Saturday, that they must win this weekend.

"You particularly see it in the European tournament and this is the one they have such heritage and history in," Dowson said when asked about the Munster threat.

"It's the one they would dearly love to be successful in again.

"All the Irish sides are very good in Europe and they raise their game in the European tournament.

"We know sort of what we're going to get from Munster and we've had some really good battles with them in the past.

"We're excited because the Gardens is one of those European venues that will produce a really good atmosphere, like La Rochelle.

"Munster traditionally travel really well in terms of their fans so the stadium will be packed, lively.

"We're hoping we can get stuck in and be a bit more controlled than we were last week."