Flannery announces arrival loud and clear

THE QUIET apprentice became the noisy enforcer at Thomond Park on Saturday.

With his blonde locks blowing in the breeze, Jerry Flannery had the man-of-the-match award sewn up at half-time and scribes in the vicinity were desperately searching for some stats on the Limerick lad. Any A caps? Has Eddie O'Sullivan even got his number?

Castres prop Kees Meeuws searched out the hooker afterwards and looked for a shirt swap. With that gesture from the former All Black great, you knew Flannery had arrived.

He could have got all distressed and disillusioned with professional rugby in Ireland, but Flannery stayed put, kept his head down and was at Templeville Road for the AIL's first day sending dinky chips down the touchlines.

He was back in the Shannon dressingroom the day after the loss to Sale last weekend and, though he didn't play, his presence alone suggested someone never getting above himself.

He knew deep down, too, that with Frankie Sheahan around, appearances for Munster would be rare, even in a restructured Celtic League. But he looked at Sheahan who suffers a similar fate with Ireland. First Keith Wood blocked his path, then Shane Byrne arrived as a late developer.

"I've been sitting on the bench watching Frankie for the last two years," says Flannery. "When you are playing with all these good players week-in, week-out, you have to trust yourself to know that you're good enough."

Jerry, just turned 27, has become accustomed to the role as shadow operator to Sheahan. Declan Kidney assured him in training that his time would come. When it came you sensed all his pent-up frustration like a caged lion released.

"It's very rare to see a player step into the Munster pack straight off," adds Flannery. "There always seems to be an apprenticeship here. I looked at Marcus serving his under Claw (Peter Clohessy), I looked at Frankie serving it under Woody, Mick O'Driscoll had to serve it with Paul O'Connell around. Nothing comes easy in that Munster pack. You have to put your time into it and when you are in there, it's an awesome experience. The players around you are savage, all internationals."

He said one of his mates had bet a tenner he'd get a try. It came in the 18th minute from a maul that seemed to have started two miles from the try line.

"I had the ball from the beginning of the maul and rumbled on for about 20 yards. The last thing I remember was Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara joining in and pushing me over." He wasn't shy about revealing the technicalities of a Munster rumble.

"The guy in the back holds onto it. The other lads come in and slot in ahead of the guy with the ball and just keep the drive going, try and keep it wide in the front so the opposition can't get their hands on it."

Other Flannery vignettes peppered both halves. He would have done well at the City West this week throwing lineout ball with dart-like precision to Mick O'Driscoll and Donncha O'Callaghan. When a Castres drive broke down in the 54th minute, Flannery collected and booted downfield, a moment reminiscent of Woody in his heyday. Six minutes later, he won turnover ball from a Castres restart. Indeed such a ball of blonde energy wouldn't look out of place in the back row.

"I woke up on Saturday and felt good. I was really looking forward to it. You can also get caught up in the occasion but to me it's just another game. Something that helped me a lot was last week was my 30 minutes against Sale.

"It's terrible that Frankie got injured, he was playing so well and, with the internationals coming up, I thought he would have a good chance with Ireland. Coming on and getting blooded for that half hour against Sale, I felt a lot more comfortable coming into this match. It's one thing playing well in training, it's another thing to come out and do the job in front of the Thomond crowd."

It is the memory of a packed Thomond willing him on that stands out.

"The crowd were incredible. I've been to so many Munster matches when I was young, but it's something else to hear them roaring you on as a player. I know the terrain well my family doesn't live too far from here. I'm a proud Shannon man as well. Someone said to me after the game, that I you must have been nervous coming into this game and I said 'Well, like, I am playing at home with Munster supporters behind me it's like having a 16th man.'"

Now a world of possibilities opens up for him. A vacant spot on the Ireland squad since Sheahan's departure might see Eddie O'Sullivan call him up. Has Eddie O'Sullivan been on the phone? The question flew over his head. His reluctance to get entangled in the euphoria was summarised in his final response: "I'm just trying to concentrate in playing well for Munster. What ever happens after that is a bonus. I earn my bread and butter here so I just keep my head down and work at Munster. If you look beyond it, you might start tripping yourself up. I have Cardiff on Friday in the Celtic League to think about."

And with those words, Jerry Flannery departs again, a quiet man.