Wallaby win ‘not a bonanza’ for Munster

EVEN though 21,314 of the 22,770 people who bought tickets for Tuesday night’s visit of the Australians to Thomond Park turned up in spite of the atrocious conditions, and the occasion was regarded as a huge success, there is little possibility of a similar kind of game taking place at the venue for at least two years.

This was confirmed last night by Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald who also revealed that while the Munster Branch made “a reasonable profit”, they still did not achieve the targets set when the agreement with the Wallabies was made 12 months previously.

“These matches are played outside the IRB calendar and usually only happen at all because touring teams want games leading up to the Rugby World Cup and they are not always available,” said Fitzgerald.

“Rugby’s calendar year is filling up all the time and that applies to Munster as well. After the Aussie game, we have the Scarlets next Sunday and another Magners League game at the Dragons the following Friday night with the November internationals going on at the same time.

“The Magners is our domestic competition and must be given preference. There is no definite plan for future years where matches against touring sides are concerned. Finding room for them may not be easy because of the November internationals and obviously their commercial viability is a major concern.”

“We understand people want to see international opposition on their doorstep as much as possible and in a perfect world we would like that as well. The fact that Munster invariably take on a touring team with a reasonable chance of winning makes it all the more attractive. You cannot buy the exposure we got on Tuesday through the newspapers, tv, radio and so on and all of that is very important to us from an economic perspective.

“Then there is the stadium itself and the crowd atmosphere and the respect our supporters have for the game of rugby. It’s something to be proud of.”

With more than 20,000 people paying prices ranging from €50, €40 and €20 for the visit of the Australians, in contrast to what has been happening at international level, it would be reasonable for people to believe Munster had made a huge a financial killing from Tuesday’s game. Not so.

“Touring teams need a substantial fee to play these games but we will always consider them, no matter how small the profit may be simply because we have a big loan on Thomond Park to pay off,” said Fitzgerald. “Tuesday was not a bonanza for Munster Rugby.”

While the number of up and coming home-based players who performed so splendidly was one of the more gratifying aspects of the occasion, it was also deeply satisfying for the Munster backroom team to see overseas players like Paul Warwick and Doug Howlett and more recent arrivals Sam Tuitupou, Wian du Preez and Peter Borlase also contributing handsomely to the victory.

There is little doubt overseas players looking in on TV would have been hugely impressed with what they saw in the areas of player standard, crowd attitude and stadium appeal and might well relish the chance to come to Munster, especially after the World Cup next September. Whether they would include any of the Aussies involved on Tuesday or watching from the stands is another matter.

As Fitzgerald ruefully put it: “Looking at Matt Giteau sitting on the bench with the rain falling and the wind howling, it is hard to believe he would leave the kind of weather he is used to at home to ever come here.”

The other side of that, of course, is whether Munster should be looking overseas to maintain the team at the standard that has become the norm. After all, Johne Murphy, Keith Earls, Denis Hurley, Duncan Williams, Damien Varley, Ian Nagle, Billy Holland, Niall Ronan, Peter O’Mahony and James Coughlan were among the stars of the victory over the Wallabies. With the exception of Earls, none are assured of a starting place in the side to face the Ospreys when the Heineken Cup resumes next months.

Obviously, this is its own perfect demonstration of the strength of Tony McGahan’s squad and why there is every reason to believe Munster have a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season.