Still living every moment

HE calls Munster’s 2006 Heineken Cup win “a fairytale”, and looking back now he clearly understands why. Out of Africa and into the Munster maelstrom of another emotional European odyssey, Trevor Halstead was a shining light throughout the 2005/06 Heineken Cup winning campaign.

Scorer of some memorable tries, particularly against Leinster in the semi-final and against Biarritz in the final, the former Natal Sharks centre carved out a niche in Munster folklore in just one season.

Halstead features prominently in a new official DVD “Munster — The Brave and the Faithful”, the official story of Munster’s Heineken Cup triumph in association with the Irish Examiner.

He arrived without much fanfare but, as he says himself, with a deep sense of grievance over the circumstances of his departure from Natal Sharks. In what turned out to be his final season, the Super 14 franchise offered him a pitiful contract, and when Munster, through former Shark Shaun Payne, came calling, he jumped at the opportunity. Like any self-respecting Munster player, he played with something to prove, and when he returned to South Africa for a month’s holiday in the summer, he was feted everywhere he went. He was proud that his name was still in the South African’s person’s psyche – particularly at the Sharks.

“When I went back to South Africa everyone that I saw there said that (the Heineken Cup final) was the greatest game that they’d seen. I promise you they said the atmosphere looked incredible and were asking me all about it. That was quite nice — just knowing the people were watching and, in that way, I was still alive in the South African mind. I was in the papers as well, all over the shop.

“The games aren’t all televised back home but when it came to the quarters, semis and final, obviously the South African people saw those games.”

He scored on his Heineken Cup debut against Castres in Thomond Park; when Munster surged home 42-16 winners, Halstead notched the team’s fifth try. As the competition progressed, his importance in the Munster midfield grew and, in a sense, he helped change the way the backline functioned. In January, away to Castres, his season really kicked off when partnering Barry Murphy in the centre. The pair complemented each other brilliantly: Halstead taking direct, hard lines, initiating an off-loading and continuity game heretofore unfamiliar to the Munster faithful, while Murphy, through his neat footwork and sinuous running lines, took full advantage of Halstead’s work.

“Coming into that Castres game I was sick. Declan had spoken to me and said it was a hell of a big game. I don’t know if he was too happy with my performances in the games before that. I put a lot of pressure on myself going into that game. And as a Munster backline, we’d also sat down before and we said we really need to step up our game and we need to use the talents of everyone in the backline. And that’s exactly what happened on the day.

“Things went well for me. Everyone was running their lines, everyone was doing their job, creating spaces. It worked out exceptionally well for us and I think it laid the foundations for the games coming up, where we had the confidence in ourselves after that game and could say, ‘look how we performed, we’ve got it in us’.

“There was a stigma there that Munster forwards were only driving us on. Yes, they’re a great force, but basically it was believed the backs didn’t have real input in the game. In that game we really tore them apart and showed our forwards what we could do.”

In one of his finest hours against Leinster in the semi-final, Halstead scored a late intercept try from just inside halfway and, though the body was bruised and the mind tired he somehow made the try line, adding that “the energy of the crowd carried me the last few yards.”

“I thought I was dead after I put the ball down!” he adds, smiling. “It was a really busy game. I was terrified that if we were going to make one mistake, they’d score and we’d lose. When you’re on edge all the time and trying to cover every space that mind-set can kick in. And when it got to that stage of the game, my batteries were low. When I broke through and started running I thought that my legs wouldn’t carry me. And when I got to that line I was completely relieved. I just thought I’d lie there for a bit because I needed the rest!”

Halstead also finished Munster’s first try against Biarritz in the final, showing strength and excellent technique to fend off the Biarritz cover and touch down. At that stage of the match, he always felt Munster would get a try and counts himself just fortunate to finish it off.

“They started really well, they got the try and Munster had to switch on again. We started putting pressure on them, our phases were working and I think it was inevitable that we were going to score.

“Fortunately I got to score the try but if you watch before that we had gone through the phases, put them on the back foot, you could see our confidence shining through.”

Recently his native country’s Currie Cup final between the Blue Bulls and Natal Sharks gained huge media coverage not just because it was a great final, but the colour, the proliferation of gigantic flags on view, the singing, and general noise created a memorable spectacle. But having seen this, Halstead insists nothing will ever compare to Cardiff on that magical afternoon.

“I don’t think you can compare any final that I’ve ever been in, or that I’ve ever seen, to the Heineken Cup final. I’m not too sure when you’re going to see a final like that again, purely because of the enthusiasm and desire from the players and from the fans to actually win the damn thing. It was a combination of so much work coming up to it and so much support that had gone into it in the past. And when you finally get it, it’s absolutely... I can’t describe it... amazing.”

*Munster players will be signing the ‘The Brave And The Faithful’ at 11.30am tomorrow at the Virgin Megastore, Grand Parade, Cork and Empire Music, O Connell St, Limerick.