Kelly ready to play wherever needed
Because of the sad injury to Barry Murphy, coach Declan Kidney has a vacancy at number 13 and one of the options open to him is to move Kelly into the centre, a position he’s filled many times in the past with excellent results. Either way, you know that he will turn in his usual competent performance and that if the chance of a score comes his way, he will take it in the style of all the others - memorably the bonus-point try in the “miracle match” against Gloucester at Thomond Park in 2003.
“It doesn’t bother me, I’ll just be happy that I’m playing,” he says. “I enjoy 13, I enjoy playing on the wing, I’ve also played 12 a couple of times. The important thing to me is playing. You might be a winger for the first phase but after that you can turn into a wing-forward or a full-back or just about anything. Playing 13 is a different challenge to the wing and it’s nice to mix it up.”
Kelly has been central to most of what Munster have done in the European Cup since his first appearance against Cardiff at Musgrave Park in 1997. They lost that day but he scored a try, and he’s been an ever-present in the intervening nine years. Consistency is one of the key attributes of the 5 ft 10in, 13 st 10 lb, 27 year-old Cork Con man. In spite of losing two finals, he loves the life as much as ever. His total of appearances in the competition is now 58, leaving him behind only Anthony Foley (73) and John Hayes (60) in the honours list and level with Peter Stringer.
“I’ve been very lucky to be a part of Munster rugby for all that time,” he says.
“As you get older, you realise it’s not going to last forever so you try to enjoy every minute of it. I’m not suggesting it’s over for me yet but obviously you realise your time here is finite. Brian Walsh (the Cork Con coach) told me a few years ago that as he got older he just enjoyed every match. At the time, I used to feel sick before every game whereas now I look forward to them. If we had won the European Cup three years running, the year after that we’d be starting afresh and still want to go out and actually try to win it again.
“It’s different every time. We haven’t played a European Cup quarter-final at Lansdowne Road before and Perpignan are a whole new side as well. Every year it’s different and that’s what’s brilliant about the competition. I wouldn’t know too much about their side except that Manny Edmonds is still there and was a lynchpin in the previous matches we had with them. I’m sure they’ll play with all the characteristics of a Perpignan side which is hard, tough and battling.
“Going on their recent form, they won away to Bourgoin last weekend and won the last game of their pool away from home, so that old idea of French teams not travelling is gone. Three years ago we had Stade Français in Limerick and scored a good few tries but they kept coming back at us and it was quite close at the end.
“And you talk about playing at home ... well, home for us is Thomond Park but we’re travelling as well so it’s not exactly your standard home quarter-final nor as straightforward as that. I hope there won’t be any rustiness after the Six Nations. Ask me that question on Saturday evening.”
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