Homegrown hero aims to bring Munster glory
However, they lacked the ingredient that might have endeared them more to Munster fans they weren't Munster men in the first place.
So when it was revealed Pusey and Bowman were leaving and Mick O'Driscoll was returning to the fold after two years with Perpignan in the south of France, there was rejoicing that 'one of our own' was returning.
It was felt he would quickly remind O'Connell and O'Callaghan that he was home and hungry and not prepared to take a back seat.
That's how it's been, with O'Driscoll now widely regarded as a much better player for his couple of seasons in France and proving an invaluable replacement for the injured O'Connell. Indeed, he was so effective in a recent thundering display against Leinster that he was voted man of the match.
"France was frustrating in that I was injured for probably 13 of the 24 months although I still played about 35 championships matches and three or four European Cup games," he said.
"But now I feel refreshed, maybe because I haven't played all that much rugby over the past couple of years. There's still a long way to go even though I'm happy with the way things have gone.
"The good thing in Munster is that we have competition for places everywhere and second-row is no different.
"We have Trevor Hogan sitting on the bench and also playing good rugby, so it was probably lucky for me to get the nod. As for France, no matter what you do in life, you're going to learn new things and grow as a person.
"The French style of rugby is completely different, it's far more open, there's less structure to the game, you play what you see.
"For me, the structures I had when I went to France and what I learned there have improved me as a player. But I can still get better, there's no doubt in my mind about that. All I can do is hope that in the long run I can make it hard for the coaches to make a decision."
O'Driscoll, 27 earlier this month, had an open mind on whether to stay in France or pursue his career in the UK.
But he got tremendous confidence from knowing Munster were interested in bringing him home. There wasn't much of a decision to be made once that became clear. So far so good. Munster lead the Celtic League just as tonight's opponents Sale top the English Premiership. But this is the big one.
"We've done a lot of analysis on them and know for sure that they're a very good team, top of the Premiership, full of Lions, internationals, and have come on a lot over the last two years," he notes.
"It's going to be a very difficult game. If we can win, it will definitely put us on the way to qualifying. That's a big thing to say after only one game but it's such a difficult match.
"We're the underdogs but I've no doubt that if we play three-quarters as well as we did against Leinster that we'll be in good shape. But if you lose your first game, you're playing catch-up."
One of the highlights of the Munster success story is the enjoyment so many families take from the team's exploits.
Michael O'Driscoll Snr and his wife Mary are a classic example and, naturally enough, are happy to see their son back in the fold.
"My parents go to every game and did so even when I was away. There's a great social aspect to the Munster games.
"A lot of us would have been the same age going through school and so they got to know one another then. It just snowballed after that. I know my folks are going racing while they're over for this game and a lot of others are going to the Man Utd-Spurs game on Saturday; so it's a big social occasion.
"And then you look at the crowds we've had for the Celtic League this season. I remember coming to a game two years when there were maybe 2,000 present whereas there were 8,000 for the Leinster game and nearly as many the week before against Llanelli."
Say what they like, Munster's support is as strong as ever.
O'Driscoll, Munster to his fingertips, intends to ensure this stays very much the case.
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