Wallace not getting caught up in Ospreys’ off-field difficulties

DAVID WALLACE has been around long enough to know that there are no easy matches these days. At the very least, top teams like Munster can expect to receive increasingly difficult physical challenges.

The Irish flanker expects a good deal more than physicality from the Ospreys in Sunday’s Heineken Cup clash as the two-time champions seek to keep alive their hopes of making the knock-out stages yet again.

With a defeat and a win from the two opening games, Munster remain under pressure. However, it’s a situation they have become familiar with but there is little room for error in the run-in to the pool programme, especially with four games to come against such high profile opposition as London Irish, Toulon and the Ospreys.

Wallace is well aware of what’s facing Munster, even if the Ospreys are without the suspended Marty Holah and injury victims Shane Williams and Lee Byrne. He doesn’t see the absence of back row rival Holah as a boost to Munster, noting that the Ospreys have such a quality squad that the New Zealander can easily be replaced.

Holah feels aggrieved he picked up a two week ban for tripping an opponent in the most recent Ospreys Magners League game; the injured Williams won’t be back until the New Year and Byrne is likely to be fined for failing to notify club and country of the seriousness of the thumb injury he sustained a couple of weeks ago.

But events in the Ospreys camp don’t concern the experienced Wallace. “The way I see it, they have world class players in the team and they’re capable of beating anyone.”

So what happens if Marty Holah is out of the Ospreys team?

“He’s obviously a very good player and he would be a loss to any team, but I know they have a very strong squad and will be able to fill the gap fairly readily.”

Wallace is happy to be back in action with Munster and doesn’t see it as a come down from international rugby. He is as happy and challenged playing Magners League and Heineken Cup rugby as he is on the international stage.

“It’s certainly not a come down for us, it’s on to the next challenge; professional rugby is at a stage where you can’t afford to say it’s a come down to Magners League. You’ve (always) got to maintain standards and you have to play to your best now every week.

“Last week (against Cardiff Blues) I got 30 minutes at the end of the game, I just wanted to play well, finish out the game and get the win; it was tight but we were in a good position.

The back-to-back games against Ospreys will be difficult but Wallace believes Munster have an advantage by playing at home first time out.

“I don’t know, only time will tell, although you always prefer playing at home. But you have to back that up with a win. Longer term, and I know it’s a bit of a cliché, you can only take one game at a time and we really have to focus on next weekend.”

Asked if Munster could survive even if they lost another game, Wallace said: “The pressure is always there but you can get caught up in permutations and thinking of games ahead and getting things clouded.

“Players have to remain focused on the job, on calls, patterns and just go out and do the best they can; hopefully that will get you the win.”

MUNSTER (v Ospreys, reduced squad): Forwards: W. du Preez, D. Varley, M. Sherry, D. Hurley, J. Hayes, T. Buckley, P. O’Connell, M. O’Driscoll, D. O’Callaghan, J. Coughlan, D. Wallace, A. Quinlan, N. Ronan, D. Leamy.

Backs: D. Howlett, K Earls, D. Hurley, S. Tuitupou, J. Murphy, L. Mafi, P. Warwick, R. O’Gara, P. Stringer, T. O’Leary.