Gavin Coombes energised by the tough task facing Munster

Rivers have passed under the bridge since Munster reached their Holy Grail in 2006 and repeated the feat two years later.

But while they were the high points, the province’s rich history in the Champions Cup goes way beyond that and always puts weeks like this into a different perspective.

“This competition has huge heritage in the club and there’s probably a different buzz in the squad this week too,” says Gavin Coombes in advance of Sunday’s Round of 16 tie away to Northampton.

“You show up on Sunday or you’re watching on the couch the following week,” he says starkly, although with that, he adds, “there’s huge excitement for us”.

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Coombes was a rugby-mad boy of eight and 10 when Munster won the then Heineken Cup in 2006 and 2008; watching the first final in his cousin Liam’s house as his parents Eric and Regina were in Cardiff when Munster beat Biarritz and the second following another cousin’s confirmation.

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“I grew up in a massive rugby family and both my parents are hugely involved in the local rugby club. I would have dreamt of playing just with the junior firsts when I was a young kid.

“Then watching those Munster teams and seeing the success they had probably was what really ignited my dream of becoming a professional rugby player and playing for Munster and winning trophies.”

No less than the pictures which adorn the walls in Munster’s HPC, those triumphs have never been a weight.

“For me, it’s hugely inspiring. I wouldn’t have played with any of the guys involved and I don’t think any of the lads really feel the pressure of what was done in the past. It’s nothing to do with us. We’ve had to park that.

“We want to build our own legacy; be the lads on the wall. Last year was a good building block, but the crown jewel is Europe. If you can win Europe in this club, you’ll be remembered for the rest of your life.”

However, Munster have backed themselves into a corner again when they face a trek to the Premiership leaders on Sunday, and if they are to emulate their resilient 17-6 pool win last season in Franklin’s Gardens, they’ll need another monster performance from Coombes. He scored two tries, made 14 carries and a whopping 25 tackles that day.

“I think that’s in the team though, it’s built into us,” stresses Coombes, citing a prolonged defensive set against Cardiff last Saturday.

“There’s probably many more occasions you can look back on, real references points for us, but that Northampton game away is probably a big one where we dug in,” he adds of a day when Munster were penalised 18 times and incurred three yellow cards.

Munster can also draw on their experiences from last year’s URC run-in, when they won three knockout ties in a row to end an 11-year trophy drought.

“If you could bottle what we had at the end of the season; that was incredible, that run of away games at the end of the season and especially the final.

“We’ve been down this road before and know what we need to do if we want to win on Sunday. It gives us huge belief.”

Coombes also believes, at 26, that his best is yet to come.

“I think there’s a lot more in me to achieve and rugby-wise a lot more in me,” he says, citing the “privilege” of working with each of his coaches at Munster.

“I want to become the best version I can be of myself and obviously I want to add to those two caps that I have for Ireland,” he adds in reference to the Japan and USA games in July 2021.

“I can only work on myself, I can’t affect what other people are doing, and the competition in the Irish back row is probably the most hotly contested in world rugby. You’ve got some of the best players in the world there. So, it’s about how can I be better than them and stay better than them.

“I think that’s the only way. If you show up on the big days like Sunday and go on to win trophies you can prove that you’re good enough to be in that squad.”

There’s no doubting his durability. Coombes has started all of Munster’s 17 games this season, three of them at lock. That versatility earned him game time in his formative years, so while he prefers the greater ball-carrying and freedom at ‘8′, he’s not complaining about doing what he can for the team.

“When lads go down and we have a crisis like we did in the second row, it’s a luxury that we have lads who can shift around and fill positions.

“It’s not much of a change in our systems in general phase-play, it’s just set-piece where it changes and for me it’s not that much of a difference. Just the scrumming, taking it out of your legs a bit,” he says, with a wry smile, although he adds with typical dryness: “I suppose you get a bit of a rest when the ball goes wide!”

But most of all, Coombes just wants to play.

“My body hasn’t broken down yet. As long as that feels good, you want to play. I don’t know anyone who wants the weekend off if they’re feeling good. I love it.”

Not least in weeks like this.