Galway makes point to young pretenders

MOST of the plaudits may have gone elsewhere but Munster coach Alan Gaffney fully appreciates Mick Galwey's contribution to their Heineken Cup victory over Perpignan.

The Currow man made light of his 36 years as he galloped around the Thomond Park pitch in the loose and turned in his usual 100% effort in the tight, mauls, rucks and line-outs. He was an enormous influence in a much improved performance by the Munster forwards, all the more so because without Galwey to stand in for the injured Paul O'Connell and Donnacha O'Callaghan, Gaffney would have had to call upon Eddie Halvey, a back-row forward, as next choice.

"I though Gaillimh had a great game and got a lot of touches on the ball," observed Gaffney. "That's why he played 80 minutes. That wasn't the intention at the start but I couldn't have brought him off in view of the performance he put in. He punched the holes out wide that paved the way for the first try. He was immense."