Many Strings to his bow

Veteran Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer insists his spell in exile has been time well spent, writes Barry Coughlan

You become used to a system and structure and to move to somewhere else means you have no idea how other people operate. Sometimes people can reinvent themselves, but you do become institutionalised in one sense. It was great to experience another side to a formula that can produce success.

Sometimes a jolt is needed to realise there are other avenues in life to be explored. Peter Stringer, born and raised in Cork, bred on a diet of Munster and Irish rugby, is a prime example of how a few months away from the good life can be the inspiration for rebirth.

The 34-year-old veteran scrum-half cut himself loose from Munster four months ago when he realised there wasn’t much food at the table. He was unlikely to get near the match-day Heineken Cup squads and sitting on the bench for a British and Irish Cup game was never his idea of fun. So he took a decision to go play higher octane rugby with trophy-chasing Saracens when a three-month contract offer came.

He has now moved on to try to help Newcastle Falcons avoid the drop from the Premiership, but will be back in Munster next season after finalising a new one-year contract with his beloved province. He reckons he’ll come back much wiser for the English experience.

Although he would prefer to have been in the Munster Heineken Cup mix, the move to Saracens has given him time to reflect.

“I had a good time there,” he said, “the deal was perfect to give me a taste of what else was out there. Saracens are a great club, a different type of club from Munster, but with Mark McCall, Brendan Venter and Andy Farrell there, good guys in charge, it worked out really well.”

Equally, Stringer was pleased with the way he was treated by Munster: “I wasn’t getting game time. I felt I was still good enough to play at the highest level and not pleased at the situation. So once the approach was made, we sat down and talked with Tony [McGahan] and Garrett [Fitzgerald] and agreed that this was what I needed to do to have the best option going forward.”

It was strange at first though.

“I was playing for an English club but with a big South African influence, it wasn’t what I was used to in more ways than one. I was coming from a team that has two centres [Cork and Limerick] and that’s all I have ever known. In Saracens you go training, finish up and everyone is done by lunchtime.”

But there were similarities too in terms of camaraderie and team spirit. He said: “Yeah, it was good, in my first week, when I celebrated my birthday [34], there were lots of initiations, singing and dancing. They were trying to make the transition easy.

“I’ve basically been at one club all my life. You become used to a system and structure and to move to somewhere else means you have no idea how other people operate. Sometimes people can reinvent themselves, but you do become institutionalised in one sense. It was great to experience another side to a formula that can produce success.”

Newcastle will present a completely different challenge.

“I knew it would be different and it is. The option of going back to Munster at this stage wasn’t right; I wasn’t even registered for the Heineken Cup and I knew that in going back I wasn’t going to get any game time, so the opportunity for a totally different experience seemed perfect before the end of the season.

“I’m here in Newcastle for about five games, and I just hope that I can make a contribution as they seek to transform things.

“I’m not sure exactly what impact I can make, but they’re quite a young squad and already I’ve found myself stepping into a type of mentoring role for certain guys. I’ve had a lot of experience with Munster and Ireland, and young players tend to feed off the experience of others.

“I found, even in Saracens, that I spoke a lot more at team meetings, I took more things on board at training sessions, and I feel that some of the things I contributed might have rubbed off on others. I guess I’m doing much of the same, and more, here in Newcastle.”

Members of the Peter Stringer fan club might feel he should never have had to look abroad and will argue he is downright unlucky not to still be involved at international level. Yet, he has taken the positives and promises to look back on this experience.

“It’s not that I had a lack of faith in my own ability when I left Munster, but I made a decision based on where I was at the time. It was 100% the right decision and I’m really glad I did it.

“I suppose merely being on loan also meant that I had to settle in quickly, I had to get the know the guys if I was going to play with them and play well; that there was no time going off on my own, it was all down to hard work from the start. My passion for rugby and my drive was the real motivation for moving.”

And when he moves back, let there be no doubt that Stringer will not be content to play second fiddle to anyone.

“It’s the place I want to be, I see this as a stepping stone and by no means a stop-gap year for me before I finish playing. I figure I have a few years left in me yet.”