Bruised and battered front row answers the call

AN HOUR after the final whistle in Geneva yesterday, the Munster front row emerged from their dressing room, and what a sight. Marcus Horan, Frankie Sheahan, John Hayes, all looked like they’d just gone 15 rounds with a young Muhammad Ali.

For those who felt Bourgoin were only in Geneva to make up the numbers — fulfil a date and collect the cheque — here was proof positive of the opposite.

“They were clattering into rucks, into counter-rucks,” said big John. “It was hard going. They’re a top-class French team, they were here to do business, and they never gave up. We had to try and match them.”

They did that, none more so than the Cappamore giant. His scrummaging was flawless, his tackling — especially around the fringes — immense. Why, he has now even become one of the Munster ball-carriers, and there was a moment in the first-half when he took off on a 50m run into open prairie, ball in hand. “I think you could take the zero off the end of that!” he laughs. “Some days the ball comes your way, some days it doesn’t, and today it did. You just keep running, keep supporting, try to be on the shoulder and you’ll get the pop out of the tackle, the offload.”

One prop who really did have a long sprint for the line, and made it, was John’s loose-head partner, Marcus Horan. First half also, out on the right wing, he got on the end of a superb long pass from flanker David Wallace. A dash for the line, dive from 10 metres, slide in, with the fist already pumping. “We were looking all week at keeping width and I was coming back in, but Wally roared at me to stay out. It was a superb pass from him, but the width was going to beat them. We knew if we could penetrate in the middle, we could then spread it wide. But then I went and gave away another one!”

Well, not really; another Munster attack, just 60 seconds after he had scored that try in the right corner (brilliantly converted by Ronan O’Gara), Horan is ball-carrying again up the middle when he’s hit by a train. Stocky Bourgoin winger Salesi Finau smashed into him; Marcus stopped dead in his tracks. The ball flew backwards, towards the Munster posts, picked up by Guillaume Bousses: a clear gallop all the way. “I felt it was a knock-on by them — I certainly didn’t throw the ball back there. But these things happen so quickly. It was great defence out of him, I didn’t see him coming up.”

Out injured for several months, last year’s find of the season, Jerry Flannery is also back, coming on for the final quarter. Good news for Munster fans, but Frankie Sheahan? How doe he feel? “It’s great, I’m delighted to see Jerry back to full fitness. You’d never wish an injury on anyone, and I think that ultimately, this is good for me, good for him, good for Munster. Get the best out of both of us. All I can worry about is my own game but the most important thing is that we keep winning.”

Which brings us to next Saturday, Leicester, last game in Thomond Park before closedown and knockdown. “Our target now, and it’s something we’ve never done before, is to win all our pool games,” says Marcus. “This is a massive one. They’re coming over with something to play for. People talk about the other big games in Thomond Park — Gloucester, Sale didn’t have to come and win, but Leicester do. They’re not going to have any fears of Thomond Park, they’ve played in a lot of tough places. They’re a class outfit, a great history, so we’re under no illusions. We have only a six-day turnaround aswell — they’re at home sitting on their couches, we still have to fly home, try get rested up tomorrow, get ready for them. It’s going to be a tough week.”

A tough week, but then these are tough men. Very tough.