A statement of intent or act of survival?

WHETHER it was a desperate act of survival or a statement of intent, it did not really matter as Ronan O’Gara sent over that overtime drop goal to claim another epic Heineken Cup victory for Munster.

Yet in the cold light of a Monday morning, and with a tough trip to Castres in the offing this weekend, the Munster players and management must be wondering if that almighty effort to beat Northampton with the last kick of the game at Thomond Park on Saturday can possibly be replicated another, potentially, five times between now and January — just to get out of the pool stages.

Nothing should be taken away from the Herculean intensity that was summoned by Munster to withstand a quality Northampton side that twice came from behind to rattle the Fortress Thomond defences and almost inflict a second consecutive win by visiting English sides in the last seven months. And perhaps it was the bitter and painful memory of that sorry Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final defeat by Harlequins last April that helped fuel the willpower to not just lie down again but to keep striving for the remarkable victory that ensued.