We’ll be back, declares Varley

TONY McGAHAN’S plan had been to bring Jerry Flannery into the fray after 47 minutes of Saturday’s Magners League semi-final against Leinster but it was blown sky high during the warm-up when the Ireland hooker went down with the recurrence of the calf injury that has been bothering him for the past few weeks.

It quickly became aware as he hobbled up and down the touchline that Flannery would be unable to take any part in the Magners League clash against Leinster and that as a result, Damian Varley would have to play the entire 80 minutes. To his great credit, Varley maintained the form that has brought him into the frontline over the first couple of months and performed so well that he was actually singled out for special praise by Leinster captain Shane Jennings.

“I didn’t know what was happening on the sidelines but obviously it’s policy to use your bench in tough games like this,” Varley said. “People tire and it’s good that the bench is used. It was a physical game, no doubt about it, but it’s also a professional game. You need to get your head down and work hard and keep working.

“Some big decisions in the scrum went against us. It is a hard area to referee. Certain things were happening on their side in whipping in around us and dropping the binds and we couldn’t understand why those decisions went against us, but you have to accept the referee’s decisions.”

Varley was unable to comment on the reverse penalty that enabled Jonny Sexton to land a crucial penalty as he was involved elsewhere on the pitch but he did agree that “some of our discipline wasn’t great at times. We gave away a few silly penalties and the try and the penalty that came after it gave them momentum, and we had to play catch up. Other decisions began to go our way towards the end and we got a bit of momentum ourselves but the hard work didn’t pay off.”

Varley doesn’t believe the Heineken Cup defeat by Biarritz had diminished the will to win in the Munster side or that this defeat finally made for the end to an era. “I couldn’t accept that,” he declared. “When you encounter losses like that, you have to pick yourself up and continue. I felt we put in a gutsy performance last week against Cardiff and played very well for phases tonight. Nor do I believe this is the end of an era. I know we’ve had a bad run in the last three games this season and the semi-final of the Heineken Cup last year. We have to pick ourselves up, we have to focus on next season when we come back in July and regroup and move on. I believe we can do that because there’s a lot of talented young players and the senior players are still there.”

Varley is certainly one of those who has put his hand up for the future although he’s not one for resting on whatever laurels may have come his way. He wants a lot more from himself and from this Munster team.

“Overall, it’s very disappointing to look back on a season in which we didn’t win any silverware,” he agrees. “I’m happy with my involvement particularly in the last few games but very disappointed with the results. Most players thrive on results, this is a results business and we didn’t get the results.” Ronan O’Gara admitted that losing the Heineken Cup semi-final to Biarritz was a massive blow but dismissed critics such as Wales coach Warren Gatland who, in the days following the loss in San Sebastian, claimed it was the end of an era for the province.

“I’ve been hearing Munster are finished for 10 years,” claimed O’Gara. “I know ‘Gats’ quite well and I know he likes to provoke. I’ll meet you again this time next year. Munster are a long way from being dead.”

Much of the French media have installed Toulouse favourites for Saturday’s Heineken Cup final against Biarritz. O’Gara however, revealed he would be backing Biarritz to win. “I’d bet on Biarritz. Harinordoquy and Yachvili have experience in these kinds of matches. If they can dominate up front, anything can happen.”