'It's a flippin' awesome team to be a part of '

REACTION AT KINGSHOLM GERRY THORNLEYon why the 'imports' are buying into the unique and awe-inspiring camaraderie that defines the Munster rugby team

THEY ARE many, many striking features to what it is that makes Munster unique. The total honesty of effort from one to 15, which assuredly emanates from numbers one to 40, is perhaps the most obvious, but it's also the way "imports" buy into the set-up. A couple of weeks there and they're ready to die for the cause.

So it is that Rua Tipoki overcame his back injury after a last-quarter run-out against Connacht to produce as good a game as he's played in his first season with Munster.

There were many contenders in navy for the man-of-the-match award - Alan Quinlan and Paul O'Connell immediately spring to mind - but the bubbly went to Tipoki. Full of trickery and dancing feet, like his sidekick and kindred spirit Lifeimi Mafi, Tipoki always seemed to have time on the ball and made telling plays, be it probing with his cultured left boot or offloading in the tackle.

So you wonder what it is that he feels he bought into. "I don't know," he admits, genuine puzzlement on his face, before giving it some more thought. "It's just watching guys like Paul O'Connell, the way they play their guts out really for each other. It's awesome to be a part of it. It's hard to put into words. It's a flippin' awesome team to be a part of."

The same adjective was used to describe the atmosphere. "It was awesome. Some of the South African crowds are as loud as that but they don't keep singing all the way through. It's pretty special, we always get a good following. The atmosphere against Wasps was as good as I've ever played in and the top Heineken Cup games are as good as, if not better than, the top level Super 14 ones back home because of the supporters. It's just the extra ingredient, the passion that they bring to the game."

All the players spoke of Munster's defence, and having singled out Munster's setpiece defence, Tipoki paid special tribute to Ronan O'Gara, who continually puts his body on the line despite a fair old buffeting: "They sent a lot of traffic at him and he didn't shy away once."

"Defence at this level is massive," said O'Connell.

"You can talk about everything you want to do in the dressing-room or in the weeks beforehand about what you're going to do, but they are all very good teams at this level and so you're not going to have the ball for 80 minutes.

"Teams have purple patches and you have got to be calm and master those purple patches, and we did that early on. Apart from the few penalties we gave away, I think we defended quite well and were calm."

Tipoki spoke of the energy generated by the Munster management in installing Tomás O'Leary and Denis Hurley, a point O'Connell also alluded to when commenting: "I thought they played great, fair play to them; they are very confident young fellas but very modest young fellas as well. And that's very important when you come into a team like that, that you are not trying to do it all, you are just trying to do your own thing properly and whatever comes, comes then."

O'Leary, in between congratulatory phone calls, commented: "I was just nervous about the game really but it was a great buzz to play in front of a crowd like that . . . that's what you want to be in front of.

"It's a brilliant place to play over here, the crowd were great, and that's the kind of atmosphere you want to play in each week. It was a great win. It's a tough place to come; we didn't play outstanding rugby today but it was pure cup rugby."

Denis Leamy, simply immense again whether with his lines-in-the-sand tackles, deft hands or leg-pumping carries, reflected on the empty feeling in the weeks after last season's quarter-final defeat in Llanelli and said: "It's great that we turned up today and have given ourselves a fighting chance, albeit on the road again. We're still there and we have a lot to play for before the end of the season."

You'd want to have a heart of stone not to feel particular happiness for Alan Quinlan after the ill-luck with injuries, suspensions and selectorial whims that has befallen him in recent times and this extends to his team-mates as well, despite the need for ear muffs when he's in their vicinity.

"It's great for Quinny. He's very vocal. If you come into our dressingroom, he probably does 80 per cent of the talking. That's the way you want him, when he's in the zone and he rises to the occasion," said Leamy. "There's a bit of a dog in him and he really puts himself about and makes crucial turnovers and wins great lineouts.

"He's a real workaholic and he's an asset to any team. He's a thorn in anybody's side," he added.

Leamy also drew a line in the sand when confronting Lesley Vainikolo to spark the day's biggest contretemps, though he sheepishly denied that was his motive.

"Ah no, I think he had a cut off Rua and you kind of have to stand up to these guys, especially away from home - and I suppose I was the nearest Munsterman in, so."

Chuckling at taking on the Volcano, he added: "You think for half a second that you don't want to draw this fella on you, but in fairness the boys were all around me so I felt confident enough."

" It's just the extra ingredient, the passion that they (Munster supporters) bring to the game