Stringer still on the hard drive

YOU only had to hear the excited clamour that erupted among the thousands of people as Peter Stringer mingled with them during Munster’s highly successful “open day” at Thomond Park yesterday to appreciate the lasting popularity of one of the country’s very special sports people.

The younger folk, especially, couldn’t get enough of him and, as ever, Peter was happy to oblige. Later, he spoke of how happy he is with his current status in the Munster set-up, while admitting he did a lot of soul searching over the last three or four years as his place with province and country came under increasing pressure. There were occasions when Ireland didn’t invite him along at all, as Tomás O’Leary and Eoin Reddan were given preference. It was little wonder he should have considered his options.

“I suppose these thoughts go through your head when things aren’t working out for you“, he admitted. “I found myself speaking to family and coaches, people I respect the most, and, after lengthy discussions and having faith and confidence in my own ability, sticking at a job and seeing it through, I got an opportunity in the autumn internationals.

“It was great to be back there and it opens up other avenues and windows and I’m happy with where things are at the moment and getting game time. It’s where I’m judged and I can’t ask for any more.”

It will be another 18 months, however, before it is clear whether Stringer will finish his career with Munster.

“I can’t answer that now“, he said. “I don’t know. I made a decision last year to sign a two year contract with Munster and I’m 100% behind that at the moment. I have a year and a half on my contract and that’s a long time away in rugby.”

The big game pending for Munster is Sunday week’s Heineken Cup clash away to Toulon, Stringer, just one of the veterans of the side who doesn’t know what it is not to qualify for the knock-out stages. He is only too well aware coach Tony McGahan faces a 50-50 decision between himself and O’Leary for the number nine jersey, but will remain positive whichever way the call goes.

“You’re gutted whenever a team sheet is named and you’re not on it,” he accepts. “Every player will tell you he’s gutted. Everyone plays this game in the hope of being selected for the starting side and anyone who isn’t gutted shouldn’t be involved. That’s why everyone looks for a contract with a quality side like Munster. If you’re only here to make up the numbers, that squad isn’t going to go anywhere.

“That’s why we have a fairly driven squad, why anyone who has stepped into positions over the past few weeks and months has put his name forward for a place in the starting side and that’s the only way it can be in a set-up like this. Absolutely, but I’m delighted at the moment and I’m not looking beyond Saturday.”

Although the side to play Glasgow Warriors at Musgrave Park won’t be announced until today, Stringer is pretty sure to be involved at some stage and that should help to further erase what he readily admits were some difficult times over the past few seasons.

“Obviously it was very frustrating, not ideal and not what any rugby player wants,” he admitted. “At the start, it affected me quite a lot. I found it difficult to fit into that kind of set-up until you realise it happens to players every week and you’re not the only one it happens to. You don’t come to terms with it, but you deal with it as best you can and you work hard to ensure that it doesn’t happen too often.

“You cope by realising that every opportunity you get, no matter how many minutes you have on the pitch, can be the difference between sitting on the bench or starting. So I’ve always gone into a game with the attitude every minute counts and you’ve got to make a difference when you’re on the pitch. That’s the mindset I try to bring into a game and if you can make a difference, then well and good and that’s all you can hope for.”

Even though he passed his 33rd birthday last month, has won 95 Irish caps and represented Munster on 208 occasions, Stringer is forever seeking ways of improving his game. “I continue to work on passing, kicking, communication with forwards, rucks, every aspect of it”, he says. “Everyone starts at fundamental skills. Whether you’re starting at U8s, you still find yourself doing the same drills twelve or thirteen years into professional rugby. The same things make a player.”

While the Glasgow game commands the immediate focus of Stringer and the Munster squad, it is impossible to push the clash with Toulon to the back of the players’ minds. The need to produce something special is only too apparent and getting the mental side right is probably as important as anything else.

“The massive motivation is a fear of not producing, the fear of not getting to a quarter-final, something we’ve always done since I’ve been involved”, Stringer asserts. The fear of letting your team mates down is in-built into the squad, you play for each other and whatever happens in our dressing room is IT.

“The support that comes to our games is incredible, but ultimately we’re the ones out on the pitch, we’re the ones who have to do it. There are enough of us around to experience the highs and the lows but not to produce and not to perform to get to a knock-out stage is a massive thing for us.”