A sort of homecoming for Aussie hero Big Jim

MUNSTER legend Jim Williams returned to the province yesterday, eagerly looking ahead to tomorrow night’s clash with his old comrades at Thomond Park while concerned at the form displayed by his native Australia in their 35-18 defeat to England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Williams, now assistant coach of the Wallabies, admits tomorrow’s tie has assumed even greater significance for the tourists who are desperate to avoid a second successive defeat and want to see several candidates put their hands up for selection to the Test side that faces Italy in Florence on Saturday.

Williams will be guaranteed a warm welcome in Limerick tomorrow night having had four playing seasons in the red jersey before taking the role of assistant coach and helping guide them to Heineken Cup glory in 2006 and 2008.

One of the more remarkable aspects of Munster’s success in the professional era has been the way so many Southern Hemisphere players bought into the ethos of the team. Few epitomised this dedication to the cause more than Williams.

He became an integral part of the Munster family but was never allowed forget how his home country struggled when it came to games in Cork and Limerick.

“I think it was ‘92 when the teams last met and Peter Stringer was a ball boy back then and of course I later played with him. The likes of Clohessy and guys like that were around and it was pretty feisty. Munster never took a backward step. I’ve seen clips of certain aspects of those games and there was never a dull moment. I expect nothing less on this occasion. Munster are fiercely proud of their record at Thomond Park. I’ve only been there with 15,000 people and it sounded like 20,000. So I’d imagine with 20,000 plus, it will be fantastic. I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere. It’s a very tight-knit group, a lot of the guys seem to be related to every person in the crowd.

“It’s just a great tradition. Ever since the European Cup started, Munster have had a really good record and have built momentum through that. Their fans will travel anywhere. Some of the places they’ve got to Europe and how they got there is incredible... you have people coming back from the States for a day to watch a final and that kind of thing. “It’s just a magical time whenever Munster play in Thomond Park and especially during Heineken Cup time.”

Williams looks back on his time at Munster with found memories, maintaining that the high points outweighed the disappointments.

“It’s always been the nature of Munster never to give in, the Gloucester scenario is an example while the disappointments for me were Toulouse in 2003 and Wasps in 2004. I was captain in both games and it’s hard to take being beaten by a couple of points here and there but whenever I played in a Munster jumper in Thomond Park or in Cork, it’s been a great time. They’re a bunch of guys who play for each other. It’s always been a team of guys who got on really well off the pitch. They’re just as physical and determined in training as they are in a game. There have been a few dust-ups at training that I’ve been a part of, especially come Heineken Cup time and around quarter-final time. There was an intensity that you can feel at the start of the week that they take all the way into the game.

“I never said I’d stay too long or get into coaching when I came over here. But I blew those two things out of the door fairly quickly. I had the appeal of John Langford coming and telling me what a good set-up it was and what the players were like and how they were such a close group and they had a good pedigree in Europe at that time.

“So it wasn’t a hard decision to come here. It was probably one of the best I ever made.”