Beating Bourgoin no Swiss banker

THEY may lie marooned at the bottom of Pool Four, without so much as a point to their name, but the Bourgoin threat should not be underestimated on Sunday, according to former Munster captain Mick Galwey.

The Heineken Cup experience has been a miserable one for a French side that reached a nadir in their last outing at Welford Road prior to Christmas when they were devoured 57-3 by the Leicester Tigers.

Their form in the Top 14 has been more encouraging, adhering rigidly to the pattern in France that treats home wins as near bankers and away trips as lost causes.

Sixth in the table, they said atemporary farewell to domestic chores last weekend with a 9-0 win over Biarritz in what was described as the worst game of the French season.

Munster, of course, travel to Geneva unbeaten in seven and with nine wins from 10 but Galwey believes that defeat of Biarritz is a timely reminder of just what Bourgoin are still capable of.

“Munster have done fantastically well, particularly in the Heineken Cup,” said the Currow man. “For the first time ever, after four games, they’re on maximum points as well as getting full bonus points at home. That is huge.

“The two games over the next two weekends will be huge also. The thing you would worry about is Bourgoin beat Biarritz at home over the weekend and any team that can beat Biarritz have to be going very well.

“In the Heineken Cup, they (Biarritz) have been the one team to match Munster this year.”

The timing of the game — Munster’s third consecutive Sunday Heineken Cup away game in a row — may have angered the Red Army but Galwey is full of enthusiasm for the venue itself.

Stade de Geneve should play host to a minimum of 8,000 Munster spectators and Galwey, who has experienced many a memorable trip with the province, believes it will be another colourful chapter in the province’s story.

“The fact that the game is on in Switzerland is fantastic from a Munster point of view. They have been very lucky to play in these kind of places in the south of France and in San Sebastian a few years ago but Munster will have to be very professional out there, as they have been all season.”

While their European odyssey continues to grow wings, its dimensions have been altered by last May’s success in Cardiff. As Galwey points out, they are no longer the tournament’s “darlings” but the team everyone wants to topple.

So far, he has been well impressed with how they have handled the mantle of holders and favourites and, if anything, he believes they are even better this year than last.

“They’ve brought a new dimension. You look at the Cardiff match (in Thomond Park). From the start, Munster wanted to score tries. They wanted the bonus point and they got it. You have to admire that.

“Paul O’Connell had a lot of very hard decisions to make and he made them. There was a stage where the game could have gone either way but they stuck to their guns and it was very impressive.”

As a man who did more than most to foster the unique Munster spirit, Galwey is delighted with how his old team has moved on since finally reaching the summit last season.

From Manchester United in 1968 to the England rugby side in 2003, professional sport has been littered with sides who have been unable — or unwilling — to repeat long-sought after successes.

Munster have already proven that is not a fate they wish for themselves.

“It’s not the end of the journey,” said Gaillimh. “They wanted to go further for the supporters and themselves. Great teams want to win back to back and be around for a long time and that’s what Munster have said.

“They’ve gone public saying they want to do it again. It takes a lot of confidence to do that. They’ve seen what’s it’s like to win it and they want to be remembered as a great team.”

One team that might have some say in that will be Leinster who, in Trevor Hogan and Stephen Keogh, have two Shannon clubmates of Galwey’s among their number.

Both played key roles in helping the Limerick club to a third straight AIB League Division One title last May and Galwey is delighted to see how quickly they have adapted to life in their new surroundings.

“They’ve added a lot to the Leinster side. Stephen Keogh was man of the match against Ulster and I was delighted for him because he went through a rough time down in Munster.

“He wasn’t getting a lot of game time because of the talent Munster have in the back row and he and Trevor have made the right decision to come up to Leinster. They have brought a new dimension to the Leinster pack because you have to admire Leinster’s play, particularly in the two matches against Agen. They’re in the driving seat. They have their future in their own hands and they have a huge game this week against Edinburgh.”