McGahan hails ‘superb’ performance

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan had plenty of reasons to smile after Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final victory over Northampton Saints.

First and foremost it sets up a last-four mission against Biarritz, but that only tells a fraction of the story.

The Magners League defeat to Leinster a night earlier had some questioning the appetite of this Munster side for battle on Europe’s biggest stage.

Those whispers grew in intensity when news filtered through hours before kick off that captain and talisman Paul O’Connell was out of the team due to a groin injury.

And though Munster bossed the first half, some doubts began to resurface when Northampton swooped for a converted try in the final moments to hold a three-point interval lead.

“Relief is my initial reaction, especially after last week’s result. The players were superb. We were very composed,” said McGahan.

And what of that late first-half body blow from Jon Clarke and Stephen Myler?

Were there fears panic could set in?

“We didn’t panic because I felt, and the players felt, we had begun to get on top in the physicality and in field position before half time. We knew we had wind advantage in the second half and tried to remain composed.

“I suppose it was tough and you have to give credit to Northampton because they’re a quality side. Yet, one would have to be happy with this display, we were missing a world-class player and a great leader and the forwards, under a lot of scrutiny all season, really fronted up.

“Mick O’Driscoll was simply magnificent in filling in and played a huge role, while Ronan (alongside several others) was at his best in terms of game management. What counts is that we’re through to the semi-finals (against Biarritz); it will be a tough game to come out of but that’s the challenge and it’s a good place to be right now,” he said.

Munster are two games away from a third European title and Northampton boss Jim Mallinder believes McGahan’s side have all the components necessary to achieve glory in Paris next month.

“Of the four teams left, Munster have to be up there. For starters they are always going to be competitive with that pack that they’ve got. But they have some real quality individuals behind as well, and with the two half-backs they’ve got, you certainly wouldn’t write them off.”

Scrum-half Tomas O’Leary may have collected the official man-of-the-match honours but it was stand-in skipper Ronan O’Gara who earned Mallinder’s post-match plaudits.

“He was just magnificent,” the Northampton coach said. “He ruled the game in that second half. Munster played brilliantly well in the opening 20 minutes which didn’t help us at all – they went the aerial route and they did it well – and that put us under a lot of pressure. O’Gara is a great rugby player, Munster are a great team.”

Mallinder admitted that hopes were high in the visitors’ dressing room when they edged into a 16-13 lead at the interval.

“We looked at different options in the way we might play, but defensively we were a little off our game and weren’t quite as clinical as we might have been in attack. At this level, you’ve really got to get everything right.

“We felt we were in a good place at half time and wanted simply to look after possession in the second spell but we couldn’t do that for a variety of reasons. They took their chances and we didn’t.”