‘I’m kind of used to weeks like this’

IT HAS been a week for reminiscing in the Munster camp, of daring exploits overseas and famous victories on foreign soil.

An away win is a precious commodity and even more so when everything is on the line, just as it will be tomorrow against Toulon.

As a newcomer to the squad, Johne Murphy has a pretty unique do-or-die tale: of travelling to Limerick with Leicester Tigers and leaving with that rarest of jewels — a Heineken Cup win at Thomond Park.

The 26-year-old back from Kildare, who will start on the wing for Munster in the must-win Pool Three game at Stade Mayol, spent five seasons with Tigers before returning to Ireland last summer.

As such, Murphy was part of the Leicester squad for that final group fixture of the 2006-07 campaign and though he did not feature in the match-day 22, he shared in the intense build-up and post-match joy as the East Midlands side became the first visitors to win a Heineken Cup game at the Limerick venue.

Much as Munster do this weekend in round five, the Tigers had gone to Limerick placed second in the group and needing a win to stay alive. The situation made for interesting preparations.

“We’re sort of in the same kind of training week when I was back at Leicester and we came to Munster — it was do or die then,” Murphy recalled this week. “We had to do what was never done before, so I’m kind of used to weeks like this. It’s huge for us.

“That training week was pretty intense. Getting up for that week, there were plenty of punches thrown in the training sessions and it was pretty old school.

“This week we had a pretty tough session. Short, sharp and with plenty of intense contact, which we’re going to need for this weekend.”

Putting those tough moments on the training ground into practice on game day, though, requires an added ingredient.

“Just a belief,” Murphy said when asked how Leicester won at Thomond four years ago this week. “And I really think we have belief here in this group of players.

“There’s been a lot said about us in different places but we’ve never stopped believing in what we’re trying to do or what we’re trying to accomplish with this group and, hopefully, we’ll show that on Sunday.

“That’s what this is for us. We believe we’re trying to play, we’re getting there and we showed that in the last 20 minutes against Ulster, maybe at the start of the game, and how we closed the game at the weekend (against Glasgow Warriors).

“We’re trying to play but unfortunately we’re kind of on the wrong side of decisions at the moment. We need to adapt as a team and I think in the second half last weekend we showed that.”

Munster players are under no illusions about what is at stake as they try and keep alive a run of 12 consecutive seasons of qualifying for the Heineken Cup quarter-final but they are grateful, according to Murphy, to be reminded by captain Paul O’Connell.

“This weekend is huge for us. Paulie has talked about it, that there is no next week. It’s this Sunday, that’s it. That’s how important it is.

“But we knew the way the group would be — that it was going to come down to the last two weekends and how tight everything was. We could be sitting here in a worse position though if didn’t get a bonus point (at Ospreys) or we hadn’t got a bonus point away at London Irish.

“It is do or die for us this weekend but we’re really looking forward to it.”

O’Connell will return to the Munster side tomorrow in what will be his first start of the season and his first in Europe since lining up against Northampton Saints last January 22. For Murphy, the build-up to this game has therefore been his first experience of O’Connell’s captaincy and he has been mightily impressed.

“When he talks, everyone listens. He certainly has an air of leadership and responsibility about him. He’s just a great leader and to have available in the training week is fantastic. Little snippets that he throws in every now and again are vitally important to us. It’s great that he’s back this weekend.

“It’s also been fantastic for me. I’m used to great leaders but Paul is certainly one of the best that I’ve ever been around and it’s only the first couple of weeks for me. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

As for the possibility of failure, O’Connell or not, it has not crossed Murphy’s mind, he insisted.

“I’ve haven’t thought about it. We have a belief in the squad that we’re going to win this weekend. They’ve been in this position before and this is what Munster’s all about. When everyone’s writing them off and when your back’s against the wall, you come out fighting and you get the result you need.

“You look at all those games before and how many people wrote them off then. It’s the same now.”