We must win battle up front, insists Micko

TWELVE months ago, we emerged from the back of the stand at the Stade Pierre-Antoine in Castres.

Munster had just been beaten by their fierce rivals, Castres, in their Heineken Cup clash and the team bus was just departing. Waving them off was one of their own, Mick O'Driscoll, himself getting ready for his return journey to Perpignan.

This was now home and no matter how disappointed Mick was at Munster's failure to put one over on his near neighbours, he couldn't afford to spend too long worrying about it.

We chatted about his state of well being, how he was enjoying life in the south of France, how well he was coping with a succession of injuries that were frustrating his attempts at establishing himself in the Perpignan side and, inevitably, when he might return to his natural habitat.

Micko spoke of how good the scene was in this particularly pleasant part of France and how beneficial it was to experience life and learn the language in one of the most delightful spots on the continent.

As for the rugby, it was okay, he said, but would be a whole lot better were it not for a succession of niggling injuries that prevented Mick from fully establishing himself in the Perpignan pack.

Coming home to Munster was an obvious option, but Mick's commitment was to Perpignan and would remain so until there was a change in his circumstances.

As far as the fans were concerned, Mick would have been a far more welcome ally for Paul O'Connell and Donncha O'Callaghan than, say, Tom Bowman or Dave Pusey, both imported from Australia.

As events transpired, Bowman and Pusey both left at the end of the season, while approaches were successfully made to O'Driscoll. The rest, as they say, is history.

O'Driscoll has been one of the undoubted stars of the Munster side all season, partly due to Paul O'Connell's long term injury absence, and has even added to his list of international caps.

Not that the Castres connection has turned full circle, he'll be very much part of the Munster team tomorrow night.

"I think I played three times against them for Perpignan," he says. "The first was in a cup competition called the Challenge Sud Radio and they hammered us on the scoreboard, something like 42-10, and everywhere else. They were going well at the time and we didn't have a full-strength team.

"They were at home and it is part of the French mentality to do well in front of your own supporters."

"I also met them twice in the championship. I don't remember too many of their players, on an individual basis. There was the full-back, Romain Teulet, the place kicker with the funny run up or no run up at all, and that's about it.

"There's huge turnover in players at places like Castres and Perpignan. They're very similar in that every year they seem to turn over ten or fifteen guys.

"Castres is an industrial town and a lot of their players would live halfway between there and Toulouse. There are some nice parts along by the canal, and, as far as I know, there's not much activity there otherwise. Except for the rugby."

O'Driscoll isn't sure how Castres will approach tomorrow's game as they are out of the reckoning for qualification, though he's satisfied that the French side will put out a full-strength team.

"They won't want to be beaten at home, number one, and number two, they will rest all their front line players for the Dragons - leading into their championship match the following week. I spoke to a fellow in Perpignan yesterday, and he says if we can beat them up front, then we'll beat them, because their back line isn't playing well.

"We're expecting a huge battle up front because they won't want to be beaten at home and especially not by Munster, because of the tradition that has built up between the teams over the last few years.

"They have no pressure on them and can do what they want and that probably weighs against us, but if we put it together from the start, get stuck into them and put the scores on the board, I imagine they might just fold and think of another day."

Wishful thinking? Hardly, given how well O'Driscoll can read the psyche of the French rugby player.

But his confidence is encouraging and indeed his only disappointment is that because of the impending game against Sale Sharks, he cannot hang around the area for a few days and meet up with some of the many friends he made while with Perpignan.

Philosophically, he signs off by accepting "that's the way it is and all going well, we'll get the result that will set up the biggest game of the season next week."