Five-point plan needed a five-star performance

I SHOULD have been surprised, but I’m not. In the wake of Munster’s narrow win over Montauban on Friday night in Thomond Park, a complaint I heard over and over again in the meditation centres I occasionally frequent was that Tony McGahan should never have mentioned the plan to collect five points.

“Our Declan would never have done that,” went the wisdom, and indeed I can envisage Mr Kidney’s renowned Buddha-like inscrutable smile on the many occasions when he was asked the very question that led to McGahan’s candid admission during last week’s press conference that yes, a bonus-point win, four tries, would be a realistic target for Munster against Montauban. Well, I agreed absolutely with McGahan.

I like Declan Kidney, enjoyed his press conferences even though nothing was ever really revealed. McGahan, though, despite his constant ‘Ah sure look at the huge budget they have and the tiny budget we have,’ line before all the big Heineken Cup outings, wasn’t one for forelock tugging. It was exactly the opposite; the old Irish attitude of accepting defeat before we started, of talking ourselves down, really grated on the new Irish coach, especially in the early days with Munster.