Munster in a squeeze as they turn to du Preez

POOL ONE PERPIGNAN v MUNSTER: Keith Dugganon the short-term replacement prop who has made an immediate impact on the province's players, management and supporters

IF MUNSTER do manage to plot a route through to another European Cup final, they will have one particularly interested fan in the lower half of the year. The season of Wian du Preez is emblematic of the nomadic world of professional rugby.

Tomorrow, the sturdy Bloemfontein forward will be at the front line of Munster’s daunting task in Perpignan. But regardless of what happens in the group stages, he will pack his bags and fly home again at the end of January.

“That is the agreement the two unions have made. This is the first province or other union that I have represented since I started playing with Cheetahs and it has gone well for me,” he said cheerfully during the week.

“So I go home and have two weeks’ break and then start playing for the Cheetahs again. But it is fine. I feel fresh.”

The emergence of du Preez as an international calibre forward could not have been more timely for Munster. The indefinite absence of Marcus Horan left the team’s frontrow short in terms of craft and experience. Du Preez had come to the attention of Northern Hemisphere sides by ably scrimmaging against Scotland’s Ewan Murray when the British and Irish Lions played the Cheetahs during the summer.

That performance was rewarded with a call up to the Emerging Springboks, for whom he went head to head against John Hayes. He was originally left out of the South Africa squad that toured Europe last month but after a minor injury crisis, he was not only called up, he got his first international cap against Italy, replacing Tendai “The Beast” Mtawariri.

By then, he had been contracted to wear the red of Munster for a couple of weeks. It probably helped that his international team-mate Jean de Villiers had already familiarised himself with Munster rugby culture. But du Preez clearly came to Ireland determined to learn from his experience.

He knew of Munster by reputation and watched their Lions players in action during the summer.

After training this week, Denis Fogarty recalled how du Preez turned up for his first training session having evidently learned most of the Munster calls.

“He knew what was happening in the line out and the scrum. That was so impressive – he obviously took the information that he was given and did his homework and was up to date on everything.”

The attitude has impressed du Preez’s colleagues. The South African is in a strange situation. Long-serving Munster players like Paul O’Connell have become accustomed to seeing Southern Hemisphere players becoming fixtures in the dressingroom for a season or two, everyone from Jim Williams to Trevor Halstead have earned the permanent affections of their former team-mates and supporters.

But they got to experience the fluctuations of a series and put their minds and bodies on the line with the motivation of winning, of seeing the season to its natural end. Du Preez’ brief is more difficult in that he has been asked to help kick-start Munster’s season but will not be around for the more thrilling part of the season. In many ways, it is the ultimate professional role.

But Munster’s effectiveness is based upon more than conscientious professionalism. It is predicated on their fierce local pride and a persistent ability to defy odds, to demonstrate the sum is greater than the parts.

It ought to take time for any player to absorb that mindset and become part of it. But du Preez has been asked to accept it cold and has managed to do so.

He has come into a season in which Munster have been constantly playing catch-up. Pre-season training was less than ideal, with Munster’s Lions representatives requiring a rest period and their early showings in the Magners League reflected the fact that the squad were scrambling to fine tune their game. Then came the injuries – O’Connell missing for the early part of the season, then Horan, then Jerry Flannery.

Add to the mix several alarming results – the 30-0 drubbing by rivals Leinster in the RDS, the 31-27 Heineken Cup loss to Northampton in Franklin Gardens and it is clear that for now, Munster have lost that shield of invincibility.

Even the form of their past two games have been uneven, with a flat 19-14 loss to Ospreys followed by their late, one-point win against Perpignan. It is, at best, a fitful record which they carry with them into the French ground tomorrow afternoon.

“I think we played well against Ospreys but just made a few mistakes,” du Preez says.

“Small things let us down but I think we saw glimpses and then we built on it against Perpignan. I have seen some good stuff. This is a really professional team, full of internationals. Perpignan are an extremely good side, they scrum very well as a unit. That is the plan. We want to win and to create the chance to be in finals so that is why I am here.”

He squinted when asked if he had ever played in France before and recalled touring the country during his days at the Free State University.

“Many years back,” he said. (Although du Preez is only 26). “I am not sure if we played in the south, though. But I have heard that the supporters are something else there and I am looking forward to the Perpignan ground.”

Only two teams have come away from there with wins in the last 29 games. It is the kind of challenge that seems tailor-made for Munster. From the beginning, the French team will look to test the cohesion of the Munster scrum.

The anticipated ordeal for the Irish pack never materialised in Thomond Park and du Preez’s involvement in the effort was highly praised afterwards.

“He has been really good since he came over,” said O’Connell. He hasn’t got a lineout wrong and he has had a few little ideas in the scrum as well – which is great for me. He has worked with Os du Randt and Maka Drotske at Cheetahs, two of the best around, so he has been really good for us.”

It is clear he has already earned the faith of Tony McGahan.

“I thought he was excellent last week. He really came in and gave us some great impetus. I though he worked hard around the field and in both attack and defence.

“He’s an excellent person – he’s fitted in really well. He has got a calm and very controlled demeanour and he is eager to learn, enjoying his rugby here.”

Du Preez is living in Limerick during his stay here and happily admitted to getting lost during his first days in the city.

“I think it’s a bit bigger than where I am from in Bloemfontein,” he said. “But it is very nice. Lovely people and nice places to go in the country. I am enjoying it.

“We get cold winters too but we don’t get the rain like you guys. And also the wind here is really cold. That is the big difference that I find.”

Cold will not be a problem in Perpignan. Du Preez is being fast tracked through to the status of honorary Munster man.

A big 80 minutes in France could is the next step.

These are early days in the brief Munster career of Wian du Preez but already, you get the impression that they will be sorry to see him leave.