Wallace the heartbeat in Reds’ engine
Last Friday night, and for the second time in three years, Sale came to town with their flags flying high, hopes raised that finally, after a recent run of outstanding form, they might lower the colours of Munster, gain a huge measure of revenge for the humiliation three years ago.
In Munster there was a measure of trepidation, because as Sale were enjoying their spectacular run in the English Premiership, Munster were going through the horrors in the Magner’s League, with a loss to Connacht in Galway followed shortly by a drubbing in Thomond Park no less, to a revived Ulster.
The week before last, however, came signs that Munster were about to stop the rot. Ospreys had overtaken Munster at the top of the Magner’s League table and now the turbo-charged Welsh side were hosting the Reds in their fine new Swansea home. In a match in which they returned to basics, the Munster pack squeezing the life out of whatever game was left in the Ospreys, turned them over, went back on top of the table.
Come last Friday evening, then, and though the new stadium was rocking, hope rekindled, there was yet reason to be fearful. Half-time, Munster went in with a 12-6 lead, but would Sale come back and take control, much as both Montauban and Clermont had done in Thomond Park in the earlier rounds of the competition, perhaps end Munster’s hopes of qualifying for a record 11th quarter-final in-a-row? Would they hell! Less than half a minute into that restart came that special moment.
We’ll let David Wallace, the man of that moment, take us through it.
“Thank God it was only 26 seconds into the second half, because if it was with 26 seconds to go in the first, I don’t think I’d have had the energy to do it! I think it was Donncha (O’Callaghan) won the turnover at the restart, Marcus (Horan) involved as well; Quinny (Alan Quinlan) and myself stood off when we saw what was happening, called for the pass, and it came, perfectly, space outside. I got through, tackled, went down, got up, went on, was half-expecting to be called back but I wasn’t.”
In that moment, using his phenomenal leg-power, David broke through the Sale cover, and then, using his freakish big-man speed, won the dash for the line — try Munster, half-time nerves well and truly settled.
David Wallace, is also a dab hand at setting up tries, and it was his pass that finished as fine a try as was ever seen in Thomond Park. Having travelled almost the full length of the pitch and certainly the full width, over and back on a couple of occasions, it all ended with Wallace flashing out a left-handed pass to Jerry Flannery, who did the honours in the corner. Brilliant?
“Yeah, I think it was, not because of the final pass but because of the phases we had put together. We played the rugby we wanted to play, held onto possession, ran our lines and you can break teams down like that. Unfortunately it’s not always that easy, but looking back, yes, from start to finish it was a great try, great to watch.”
The question is, however, why is that this Munster team waited so long to produce such magic?
Why did they did play so badly against Connacht, against Ulster? How does he account for such a quantum turnaround in performance?
The Ospreys, he says, that win. “I think the week before was a great confidence boost for us, both in the way we wanted to play and in the result, built up the momentum going into the Sale game. But that doubt was still there in our minds, that fear, because of the two games before the Ospreys game — was the Ospreys win just a flash in the pan?
Was it perhaps all the criticism they shipped after those two performances, the loss against Ulster particularly, unfamiliar criticism given their excellence over the years, that provoked the backlash suffered by first the Ospreys, then Sale?
“I don’t think so, I think we’re our own hardest critics and everyone was really, really hurting, it was as low as we felt as a squad for as far back as I can remember. But no-one panicked, we had a meeting of minds as to how we’d go about fixing things, and thankfully it seemed to have worked.”
With all this talk of how the mighty French may not have even one team in this year’s quarter-finals, is there perhaps a tendency to underrate the Magner’s League?
Definitely, says David: “I think it’s always been underrated. It’s a very difficult league, a lot of strong teams in it now, gone from strength to strength. It is undervalued, and I think the results speak for themselves.”
Results like last weekend, Glasgow’s away win over Toulouse, Cardiff beating Gloucester to top their group, unbeaten, Llanelli beating Stade Francais, to go with Ulster’s toppling of the mighty ‘Quins and Munster’s hammering of Sale, all of which point to the fact that there is as much quality in the three Celtic nations as there is in either England or France.
Then again, we’re reminded of how Montauban, lowly Montauban, almost ended Munster’s 2008/09 Heineken Cup dream first day out, and it happened at home, back in October ‘08, in fortress Limerick, Munster saved only by a late Ronan O’Gara penalty.
What happened on that stuttering evening? “They’re a very strong team,” says David, “Beat Sale at home, could have beaten Clermont at home also, so you write them off at your peril. The first time was a big shock for us, hopefully it will help us this weekend, no complacency — not saying we were then either. We’re going to have to give it everything.”
As for his own form, with many reckoning he’s playing the best rugby of his career, looks a certainty already for the Lions, David is holding back: “I’m happy with the way the season is going but you’re always looking for ways to improve, I’m always critical of my own performances after every game, as we all are.
“There’s always a way you can do things better, things you want to put right for the next game, so it’s still a learning curve.”
What of the debate, his best position — seven, or eight? A converted number eight, outstanding ball-carrier, hardly a natural groundhog, what does he think himself? What’s his own preference?
“I suppose seven is what I’m used to now for the last few years; I have slotted into number eight a few times, but seven is what I’m used to. Playing at eight for the whole game is a different kettle of fish, especially nowadays, so much kicking — sometimes it’s like you’re playing as a full-back.
“I’ve played once or twice at eight but I’m happy at seven, that’s where I’ve plied my trade over the years.”
And the feeling of having his old mate Denis Leamy back, in the number eight position? “It’s great to have him back, to be honest; as I said, it’s fine to be playing number eight off the back of the scrum when we’re attacking but when you’re hanging back waiting for kicks, he’s a good man to do that, great football skills, and I can then just concentrate on being a seven. The way he’s playing since he came back, the intensity he brings, the intelligence. He’s had a tough time, very hard to come back from the injuries, but the fact that he has shows the quality of the player he is.”
There is one drawback to the return of Denis, however — with the aforementioned Quinny on the blindside, David now finds himself occasionally as the meat in a Tipperary sandwich.
“Annoying alright, very hard to understand them, a few translators needed!”
No translators needed this weekend, however, and unlike the situation in so many final pool games for Munster, no calculators needed either.
A win, that’s the priority, a win at least, bonus point if possible, and guarantee these most supportive of fans a home quarter-final. Six tries notched against Sale, just one conceded; a similar story today is probably too much to ask, but four tries for?
Bearing in mind what happened last Friday, bearing in mind also that it was his late bonus-point try that finally accounted for Sale those three years ago, time for another Wally special, perhaps?
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
