Donncha respects ref White

GIVEN THAT the English official was central to one of the most controversial decisions in the history of the Heineken Cup, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Munster weren’t happy at the appointment of Chris White to referee tomorrow’s clash with Treviso at the Stadio Comunale Di Monigo.

White handled the 2001 game between Munster and Stade Francais in Lille when a try by winger John O’Neill was disallowed. To be fair, the decision was made by touch judge Steve Lander but it was to White that Munster captain Mick Galwey immediately ran when he realised what was happening.

“Go to the video ref,’’ he told White, only to be informed that the facility – which by then was the norm in the Six Nations – was not available.

However Munster have refused to harbour a grudge and have met White many times since.

“The best thing about Chris is how clearly he speaks to the players,’’ said Munster second-row Donncha O’Callaghan, one of those to suffer heart break that day in Lille. “You’re trying to poach a ball but when you can hear him say, ‘leave it red four’, you know there’s no doubt. That’s when he comes into his own. He’s a kind of players’ referee… when he penalises you, he gives you a look that he’s nearly disappointed with you, it’s like having a school teacher on the pitch with you.”

O’Callaghan is a veteran of 66 Heineken Cup matches, has represented his country on 57 occasions, is a Grand Slam and multi-Triple Crown winner but his hunger for battle is as intense as ever.

And after three weeks without a match, he is chomping at the bit for some action. “You could look at it two ways but I feel refreshed after the bit of a break,’’ he said. “To be fair, it was a little tough through the autumn internationals, which were hugely physical, to the Perpignan game… we were playing through an awful lot of bangs and knocks. But you recover fully and feel fresh and you can see that by your scores in the gym.

“The flip side is that you’re not match sharp and probably a bit off the pace but we did a lot of work at the break down this morning with Lawrie (forwards coach Fisher) and it will stand to us.

“Of course, there’s nothing like games because you can’t go full out in training like you can in games but it is what it is.’’

The way they have performed this season so far, one is always in doubt as to which Munster team will turn up.

Will it be the one that floundered in the first half of the matches away to Northampton and at home to Treviso or the one that which demolished Perpignan in their own back yard just before Christmas?

O’Callaghan is satisfied he has a positive answer to that question.

“If you look at the Perpignan game in Thomond Park, we actually played really well,’’ he said. “Dumper (coach Tony McGahan) highlighted that point later at a meeting when he could have been negative. I think we’ve been playing well and Perpignan showed that and now it’s a case of backing that up.”

O’Callaghan, however, insists Munster are not travelling to Treviso in a complacent frame of mind.

“Ye might have thought it was a handy four or five points but we would never disrespect teams like that,’’ he stressed.

“Treviso have proved the best performing Italian team in the Heineken Cup since the competition began and that’s shown by their results against Perpignan and Northampton and the first 37 minutes against us at Thomond Park.

“Have no doubt about it, this is the game they’ve earmarked.

“We played them over there in 2004 and what stands out is how really tough it was for 60 minutes before we pulled away a bit at the end. I don’t think that’s going to be the case this weekend because of how much they have improved since then. It will go the whole 80 and we’ve got to be on our game.”

The concession of soft tries has hurt Munster badly so far this season and O’Callaghan acknowledges that kind of carelessness tomorrow will be punished by Treviso speedsters like Brendan Williams and Fraser Waters.

There is also recognition that Munster’s inconsistency at scrum time could be severely punished.

“You can’t afford to give a team a 10 or 15 point advantage,’’ O’Callaghan said.

“If you look at those scores, a lot were the result of individual errors more so than systems so the big emphasis this week is that individuals are right to do their job.

“Our scrum doesn’t get a deal of credit and I felt it was one of the key factors in Perpignan. Granted, it has been rocky now and then but people highlight it when it’s negative and never praise it when it goes well.

“It’s very easy to point the finger at some one and blame him when it’s really a one to eight thing. It’s a pride thing as well. When you take pride in your scrum, it means an awful lot and makes you go out and put in big performances.”