Wake-up call will spur Munster, says ex-skipper Galwey
Galwey is adamant that Alan Gaffney’s side will have learnt a few lessons from the competition opener and be much improved for the crucial Pool Four encounter with Neath/ Swansea Ospreys on Sunday.
“You would have liked to have seen them more in the comfort zone but it would be pointless to have hammered these guys at home and then struggle in an away match against Ospreys,” the Shannon boss reasoned.
“It’s something to build on. They will travel this weekend under no illusions. They know they will have to move up another gear or two and my experience of Munster is that the odd kick in the backside inevitably brings its own results.”
However he believes the side were overly criticised in some quarters.
“A win is a win. It was always going to be tough. Conditions weren’t good and Harlequins, like any good team, were always going to be dangerous with their backs to the wall.
“Some people did think that it would be easier because they had lost seven Premiership games in a row, but the actual results against top quality opposition like Leicester and Gloucester suggested otherwise.
“The fact that Munster didn’t score in the second-half was a bit worrying but the plus point was that they didn’t concede a try either. OK, there were a couple of close calls but the defence did their job and that’s important in the context of a closely fought match.
“Still, when Munster got the scoring chances they took them. There was a touch of class about the two tries, particularly the little bit of magic from Jim Williams to create the second for Denis Leamy. That kind of one-handed flip pass is something that can’t be coached into a player. It’s just there but that’s Jim Williams for you.
“Apart from that, Jim had a marvellous game, made huge inroads going forward and brought off some huge tackles. There were huge performances in the back row but these types of displays were required to keep guys like Alan Quinlan and David Wallace out of the side.”
Meanwhile, Clive Woodward was a spectator in a working capacity as head coach of the Lions who tour New Zealand next summer.
Woodward attended three Heineken Cup games at the weekend. The first two, Llanelli and Toulouse and Munster against Harlequins were not epics but Woodward put the lack of finesse down to the conditions.
“These are the first matches and there is a step up in intensity from the various leagues these clubs have been involved in up to now.
“The conditions didn’t help anyone but in Munster’s case I thought they deserved to win. It was important more than anything to get the first match out of the way and pick up the points. They’re a top quality side and I’m sure they will go from strength to strength. This tough game should do them a power of good. It certainly won’t do them any harm.”
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