Keeping the memories fresh

IT seems appropriate to kick off with the above quote from Chariots of Fire, because it expresses a couple of imperishable truths about Munster’s Heineken Cup victory this year.

One relates to the spirit necessary to drive on to the summit, something this Munster team has never lacked.

The second thought that occurs is that a chariot, fiery or otherwise, is probably the only mode of transport that Munster fans have yet to adopt in order to get to a big game.

It’s different this time. It had to be. The relief that was visible in 2006 was born of heartbreak, of having been so close to victory in the past that you could touch its sleeve as it passed by, like a stranger in the crowd. When Peter Stringer booted that last ball into the second tier of the Millennium Stadium at the final whistle against Biarritz, he was doing more than killing the game. He was kicking away the bad memories.

It was different this time. There were different challenges to confront, and throughout the season, of all the teams involved, Munster were the best equipped to handle them. All through the season they’ve shown the benefits of experience, a woolly word that never seems to be fully defined in the past, though there are plenty of examples to choose from after this last 12 months.

Having been there before was never so valuable. Munster could raid the memory bank any time they faced adversity, and they knew they could survive. Trailing Clermont Auvergne by 17 points in France would have been a suffocating pressure for many teams, but Munster’s calmness told.

Recalling some other brutal away days helped when facing Gloucester in front of The Shed, a prospect which has paralysed many a highly-regarded Premiership outfit.

Dealing with a Saracens team only too happy to drape themselves in the underdog’s colours was different.

That, too, was a hurdle negotiated; dealing with the race from the favourite’s lane, not just the outsider’s, is what separates a champion from all the rest. In the final itself, during that last discussion between O’Gara and O’Connell about the late, late penalty, the out-half had the experience to ask what would happen if he kicked for the posts and his shot rebounded, and Toulouse counter-attacked...

They say you can’t buy experience; you couldn’t even bid for that kind of nous.