Munster feel the weight of expectation
The response when their popular President Jack McCarthy made his way to the podium to collect the Junior Club of the Year award highlighted what that recognition of their season’s achievements meant to all involved.
With the season fast drawing to a close, these award ceremonies were replicated in the other provinces along with the IRUPA and Rabo Direct Pro12 gala nights.
For the players, these events can be a bit of a chore, unless of course you are one of the recipients. It also helps to retain focus if you are competing for silverware over the last two weekends of the season.
Unfortunately it was impossible not to sense a feeling of frustration amongst the Munster players at the luncheon. That evening Ulster were contesting the first of the Pro12 semi-finals against the Scarlets with Leinster meeting Glasgow 24 hours later. They also had an Amlin Challenge Cup final to look forward to. For Munster, the only excitement was a trip later that evening to the Mallow races for an end of term blow out.
While there was some consolation that they finished the season with honour intact after their heroics in the Heineken Cup semi-final against Clermont, the message was clear: This time next year they want silverware.
With just Paul O’Connell and Conor Murray heading off on Lions duty, the rest of the squad are being kept in full time training until the selections for the tour of North America and the Emerging Ireland squad for the IRB Tbilisi Cup in Georgia are announced.
Elsewhere, as anticipated, an All-Ireland Rabo Direct final has come to fruition when, by a strange quirk of fate, Ulster host Leinster in the decider at the RDS.
Leinster can’t believe their luck but with the bulldozers moving into Ravenhill last Monday, Ulster, as leaders at the conclusion of the league stage, had to nominate another ground to host the final.
Leinster, however, will not have things all their own way as the ticket allocation will be split 50/50 and you can be sure that the Ulster contingent will take up their full compliment. It has the makings of a great spectacle.
In England, Harlequins’ miserable end to their season saw them well beaten by Leicester Tigers in the first of the Aviva Premiership semi-finals. Sarries will meet Northampton Saints, who had a shock win over Saracens in the other semi. Conor O’Shea’s men never really recovered from the pummelling they received at the hands of Munster at the Stoop while Mark McCall’s side also appeared to run out of steam after their disappointing loss in the last four of the Heineken Cup to Toulon.
Nine months ago, Munster, Leinster and Ulster set out with one goal in mind and that was taking advantage of the fact that the Heineken Cup final was set to be staged in Dublin.
Unfortunately it was not to be with Fáilte Ireland the biggest Irish winners when history repeats itself with two French sides competing in the final.
Leinster set the ball rolling on Friday night when they seek to deliver a fourth European trophy in five seasons. The Amlin may not have been the target they had set their sights on at the outset of the season but right now it would prove a remarkable achievement to secure yet another European crown. Joe Schmidt’s men looked more than a little battered and bruised at the end of their ultra competitive semi-final against Glasgow on Saturday night and the injuries are mounting with Gordon D’Arcy almost certainly ruled out.
On successive weekends now they will meet a side fresh from having the previous weekend off while they attempt to keep the ship afloat at the most important time of the season.
Their opponents on Friday night, Stade Francais, have had a very poor domestic season, finishing 10th in the Top 14 with just 12 wins and a draw from 26 league outings. The one concern for Schmidt, as his highly successful period at the helm draws to a finish, is that Stade somehow managed to defy the odds with stunning away wins in the Challenge Cup quarter and semi-finals against Bath and Perpignan respectively.
Unfortunately, former Leinster favourite Felipe Contepomi will not play his final game of professional rugby back at the RDS as he was not registered by Stade for this tournament.
The highlight of the evening could well be the clash at No. 8 with Jamie Heaslip up against Stade’s dynamic leader Sergio Parisse. I fancy Leinster to win even if the potential loss of D’Arcy is a huge blow. Connacht will be praying for a Leinster win as it would guarantee them a third successive season of Heineken Cup rugby.
As for the main event, I would be amazed if the large Irish crowd sure to show up at the Aviva don’t get behind Clermont in their quest for a first Heineken Cup. Irish fans have been exposed to them on so many occasions that the quality of their rugby allied with the warmth of their fanatical support has won many an Irish heart.
Since the 2007/08 season alone, Munster have faced them on five occasions, four times in the pool stages and last month’s semi-final while Leinster have played them six times including four pool outings, a quarter and semi.
In addition, Ulster met them twice in their pool last season. As a result all of their players are household names here and the quality of their back line, in particular Wesley Fofana, Morgan Parra, Aurelian Rougerie, Sitiveni Sivivatu and Napolioni Nalaga are amongst the very best this great tournament has to offer.
In my experience, their supporters are absolutely superb whether in victory or defeat. They are colourful, knowledgeable, respectful and sporting. For that reason alone, I would love to see them lift the trophy. They went so close to dethroning Leinster in last season’s brilliant semi-final in Bordeaux that they deserve their day in the sun.
From a selfish point of view, if they do manage to satisfy their manic desire to win one, it may make life a little easier for the Irish contingent next season.
Their opponents Toulon have never won a Heineken Cup either and while I don’t like their style of play, along with the fact that they appear to want to buy every quality rugby player on the planet, the only thing that would endear a win to me would be that Jonny Wilkinson would finally get a Heineken Cup medal. I have long been an admirer of his since getting to know him on the 2001 Lions tour and I could live with him being rewarded in that manner at this stage of his wonderful career.
