Home where the heart is

The pressure is off Munster, comparatively speaking, as they have already qualified for the last eight of the European Cup. Not that this is likely to slacken their resolve. They've never been short of a spur or two, and for the visit of Castres to Musgrave Park this Saturday the motives are spiritual as well as tangible.

The importance of securing a home quarter-final by beating Castres was reinforced by Declan Kidney yesterday. "We owe it to our supporters as well," said the coach, mindful that the capacity for a quarterfinal at Thomond Park would be 5,000 or so greater, "because they've already dug deep to support us."

It's also surely worth noting that in the competition's 16 quarter-finals so far, there have only been two away wins. Furthermore, no team has won the European Cup without being drawn at home in the quarterfinals. When asked, Kidney predictably didn't express any preference for quarter-final opposition. "We'd fear no one at home. They're all top quality sides."

Nor have they any reason to fear anyone, for no one has beaten them in the European Cup at Thomond Park in 10 attempts. Indeed, it is now five years since Munster were beaten by anybody at the Limerick ground, when Leinster overcame them 19-15 in an interprovincial on December 9th, 1995, despite being outscored by two tries to one, thanks to four penalties and a conversion by Alan McGowan.

Victor Costello and Shane Byrne are current Leinster players still surviving from that win, though included in Munster's team that day, in addition to Dominic Crotty, Peter Clohessy and Mick Galwey, was current Leinster captain Liam Toland.

"Funnily enough we were only talking about this in the dressing-room today," said Mick Galwey yesterday, "and Claw reckoned it was that game against Leinster. I remember that Leinster scored a pushover try, which was a hard one to swallow, and those were the days when scrummaging was the main thing. That defeat was before professionalism, so we can put it down to that."

However, the Thomond factor appears to be spreading, for Munster are becoming almost as unbeatable throughout the province. Munster have now won their last 17 competitive ties at home, and this excludes one of their most satisfying wins of all in that time, namely the 26-19 victory over an Ireland XV at Musgrave Park two seasons ago as part of Ireland's World Cup warm-up programme. Watching that game and the post-match reactions, you certainly wouldn't be inclined to call it a friendly.

Again this sequence dates back to a defeat by Leinster, the last team to beat Munster on their own soil in an interpro at Dooradoyle three years and five months ago.

At Musgrave Park, too, there have been some memorable days and nights, with Galwey citing the 1992 win over the then world champions Australia as a personal landmark. "That was a fantastic day." A bit tetchy though, with pretty much every player finishing it in a red mist. "Even Richie Wallace kicked the mascot that day."

Even the sole European Cup home defeat to Cardiff four seasons ago was, Galwey recalls, shrouded in controversy. "We were unlucky in that game, when it appeared Alan Quinlan got a touchdown in the corner near the end."

Subsequently, of course, there was the highlight of Galwey leading Munster to a compelling last-ditch victory over Ulster last September on his 100th appearance for the province, and winning the man of the match award.

"I think that was decided beforehand," he quips. "But that was a great night, with a great crowd, and not alone because it guaranteed us the interpros but for a record third year in a row as well."

Thomond, though, is where Munster have been invincible, and when you add in Shannon's unbeaten four-year record there while reigning over the AIB League, there can't have been a fortress quite like it in Irish rugby. The most pleasing aspect of the unbeaten run at Thomond from Galwey's perspective is that "it doesn't weigh heavily on the players. We have great support but it doesn't put any added pressure on us, even if it would be a scalp for other teams. Perhaps it helps that we don't play there every other week."

Galwey experienced nearly all those wins, and the one that stands out as the most dramatic is the 31-30 victory over Saracens two seasons ago, thanks to Keith Wood's last-minute try and Ronan O'Gara shaving the inside of the upright with the difficult conversion.

"In the history of the Heineken Cup we went through quite a few scrapes but we were dead and gone in injury time in that one."

It stands out still as the best of them all. "It has to, for the drama and the crowd. They talk about the All Blacks in '78 but there must have been more for the Saracens game. They were hanging out of the rafters."

Quite why it is what it is, Galwey's not sure. "The reception we get from the crowd there is phenomenal every time we run out on the pitch, yet it's not intimidatory. They're always silent for opposition kicks and sometimes they even applaud opposition tries."

Victor Costello, an "outsider" once treated like a home player in last November's A international win over the Springboks, will always remember it as one of the most memorable occasions in his career. "It is different because you have to run through a narrow passageway with fans hemmed in on either side of you. At most grounds you're on the pitch before you notice the crowd.

"As a number eight you're usually standing near the touchline for kick-offs, and it was nice not to get abused for a change, to have them cheering for you instead, although I know that if I went back there two weeks later with Mary's they'd be abusing me again. The crowd are really into it. If you get any forward momentum at all there's a huge roar. If we play all our home A games there this year nobody will beat us."