IT SHOULD come as no surprise Munster are adopting Ireland’s one-game-at-a-time policy that served their international contingent so successfully this season.
As Paul O’Connell alluded to after yesterday’s squad session in the University of Limerick, the reigning European champions are of a mindset of “making big games of every game”.
Last week against Leinster was big; Easter Sunday’s clash with Ospreys will define the rest of their season, but confidence is in large supply down south. And though the perfectionist in O’Connell says, “all the finer details” needed to beat Ospreys weren’t there against Leinster, the champions look in rude health in terms of form, squad depth and in becoming outright Heineken Cup winners for a third time.
In an open training session yesterday, Munster went through their drills gingerly, though without three key pillars of their team – Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara and Doug Howlett. O’Gara is nursing a knee injury he sustained in last Saturday’s win over Leinster, but still went on to produce a man-of-the-match display. O’Connell’s is carrying a slightly sore hip from that match while Howlett remained in Cork because of a slight virus. However, coach Tony McGahan is confident the trio will be fine including two other injury concerns, Tony Buckley and Denis Leamy.
Someone who could become a major talking point after Sunday’s tie is Wayne Barnes, the English official who gained notoriety in the 2007 World Cup final and is still a hate figure in New Zealand. This season Munster and Ireland have been on the wrong end of the penalty count with Barnes in charge, and while McGahan admits he’s not in the habit of seeking out referees before matches, he says they’ve done their homework on the referee.
“In all big games the ref plays a part. In other games he’s been officiating, the first Montauban game and the Clermont away game, we were certainly on the wrong end of the penalty count,” said McGahan. “ . . . the major thing we had trouble with was where we gave the penalties away, in kicking range, and that added to the scoreline in both games.
“The Irish-Wales game I think was 17-5 at the end to Wales. It’s certainly a concern but we’ll do our work on the ref as we do every week. That won’t change, and we’ll have to make sure we can control what we can and not give away any cheap penalties.”
McGahan stayed clear of the question relating to any lingering or likely animosity between Welsh and Irish players, instead praising Ospreys. And of the early 1pm kick-off time, McGahan is also unconcerned.
Munster, as champions, appear to have maintained high motivation levels this season in stark contrast to the period after winning the Heineken Cup in 2006 when the journey to that point seemed to have drained them emotionally during their defence season.
“That season (2005-06) the motivation had come from this big long journey, the close misses as far back as 2000, 2002, semi-finals, quarter-finals,” explained O’Connell. “So there was a big well to go there in ‘06. Once that had been satisfied, the motivation had to come from somewhere else. It had to come from a desire to be a great team rather than just win the Heineken Cup before we retire. We’ve moved on in terms of motivation.”
As for the Ospreys’ Wales contingent, they might arrive with a chip on their shoulder after events in the Six Nations decider last month. Munster teams of the past once traded on having a cause ahead of big Heineken Cup games, but the Reds have moved from that as well, says O’Connell. “I’ll reckon they’ll be unbelievably motivated; a lot of Grand Slam, Magners League, EDF winners on their team. Whenever we had a loss, the following weeks were when we were stronger. I think we used to need a loss to play well.
“But I think the experience we’ve had in the last few years has made us become more consistent, a core group of experienced players, competition for places and the new coaching staff has helped that. We don’t need a huge cause for us to play well.”
O’Connell said he doesn’t read much into what the bookies say about Ospreys’ chances, citing the number of internationals on their books. And despite the perception that the self-styled super region can be flaky away from home, he reckons they’re a highly-motivated team with plenty to prove.
“A lot of internationals on both sides know each other very well, internationally and from the Magners League year-in, year-out. Four years ago (2004-05 season) we were in the same group in the Heineken Cup. We know each other well and that will make it an epic battle.”
MUNSTER SQUAD: Forwards: M Horan, F Pucciariello, J Flannery, D Fogarty, J Hayes, T Buckley, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, M O'Driscoll, A Quinlan, D Ryan, D Wallace, N Ronan, D Leamy, N Williams. Backs: T O'Leary, P Stringer, R O'Gara, L Mafi, K Earls, B Murphy, D Howlett, I Dowling, K Lewis, P Warwick, Denis Hurley.
