McGahan focused on tasks at hand
Pressed on the issue yesterday he said he would not comment, instead saying a statement from Munster’s chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald had dealt with the matter.
“It is a very difficult game and you don’t get the affordability to look any further ahead than where you are at,” he said.
“I don’t have anything to add from Garrett’s notes. This week is about the semi-final so I have to get my mind around that; the future can be decided upon after this game.
“We’ll worry about next season when it comes to it. There is no use talking about my future or where the club is or where we are going. We, hopefully, have two very big games ahead of us, and that’s all we’ll concentrate on. Reviews can wait until after a final.”
Fitzgerald had quelled any speculation about McGahan’s future on Tuesday when he said: “It’s not an issue. That’s not an issue full stop — win, lose or draw. We’re not firing anyone. This business isn’t run on that basis. We don’t operate that way.”
Secure for next season, McGahan is concentrating on his squad’s fitness and with Keith Earls given a clean bill of health things are looking good. If there is a surprise in a squad of 27 it’s the exclusion of veteran Alan Quinlan who Ospreys coach Sean Holley pointed out as the big threat in a battle for supremacy at the breakdown.
That aside, the top four play-off series in the Magners League, is different from two years ago when Munster won as leaders at the end of the league phase. Had the rules stayed the same, Munster would already have been crowned champions with a 14-point buffer from nearest rivals Leinster. However, McGahan believes the new structure is the right one.
“The advent of the league semi-finals has created a great intensity and certainly a strong following with the competition. We recognise getting to the top is only the first half; it is all about getting to the semi-final, getting to the final and winning that.
“You saw that last season with the Ospreys, coming from third place to win the title. We are aware that whatever happened in the 20-odd games so far, there is no real carry into the results for this weekend.”
Add to that there’s been no love lost between the two clubs, although McGahan was quick to try to play down a rivalry that has boiled over on a few occasions.
Munster have had the better of them and won three of the four clashes this season but McGahan believes the Ospreys will arrive in Limerick ready for battle and feeling they can win.
“You are looking at a side which has won two Magners Leagues in the last period and being quarter-finalists for three years in a row. They are fully laden with internationals and Lions.
“It is very difficult to get that final step in a lot of cases, but they have certainly been there or thereabouts for a period of time. Their frailties are talked about more so than some of the good stuff they can do, so I don’t take too much notice of that.”
Although McGahan believes there will be significant pressure on the Welsh side as holders, he figures the pressure comes on Munster from more than one area.
“There is pressure on us to get a result from a number of angles, although I won’t buy the view that there is no pressure on them.
“We know they are capable of travelling and getting a result, as they proved last year when they came over to Ireland after the quarter-finals and picked up results, one of them against us.
“Then they turned around and went to the RDS to play a raging hot Leinster side and beat them convincingly in the final. You don’t get to this stage and say, we’ll give it a lash. I don’t think that’s in their psyche. Both sides have a lot to play for and a lot to gain.”
F Jones, D Howlett, J Murphy, D Barnes, L Mafi, S Zebo, K Earls, R O’Gara, P Warwick, P Stringer, C Murray, T O’Leary, M Horan, W du Preez, D Varley, M Sherry, T Buckley, J Hayes, S Archer, D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell, M O’Driscoll, D Ryan, D Wallace, N Ronan, D Leamy, J Coughlan.
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