Coughlan itching to end Ulster’s unbeaten run
It will be recalled how he was at the helm when leading the side to a famous victory over the then world champions Australia in a Thomond Park storm in 2010 and the elements in the Galway Sportsground weren’t a whole lot better for Saturday’s victory over Connacht.
It was Coughlan’s third game since his return from a long-term groin injury and he was once again a towering figure in Munster’s 16-12 victory. He is more than a little relieved to have come through unscathed in the two Heineken Cup games against Saracens and another searching examination in Galway.
Regardless of the weather, the prospect of facing Ulster in Saturday’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash at Thomond Park (kick-off 5:3Opm) is one Coughlan is relishing.
“A busy Christmas, just the way I want it,” he said. “I feel I’m getting fitter by the game, the first few are always going to be the most difficult. I’m comfortable in my own performance and now we have four massive weeks ahead of us and that’s the focus. We need to have our heads on for those matches starting with Ulster next Saturday.
“All the derbies are big games, especially so as they beat us the last time they were here. That’s the carrot for us now … they’ve been unbeaten in the Rabo all season though I thought we played really well up there and very unlucky in the end not to get a result out of it. We made a few small mistakes and that’s what cost us last week as well. These small details will cost you in the big games.
“For sure, last season’s defeat at Thomond sticks in the craw. I’m sure if we went up there and beat them in the quarter-final of the Heineken, it would stick in their craw as well. It’s not going to be a driving force but something that will be there in the back of our heads and I’m sure they’ll be coming down full of confidence that they can get a result because they did so the last time they were here.
“The fact that they’re unbeaten in the Rabo won’t come into our consciousness … it’s just about putting ourselves in the best possible place to get a result.
“I watched them against Leinster and thought they were fantastic. The scrum went very well and they grew into the game. I thought Leinster had a chance early in the game and had they built a few more scores, it might have been a different result.
“Ulster have quality everywhere and it’s going to be a big test, local derbies are always massive physical encounters, playing against guys you know, a lot of us would have grown up playing schools, 21s and then into the seniors. You’re playing against the same guys pretty much the whole way up. We’re aware of their capabilities and they are of ours so it’s going to be whoever wins the collisions and who executes the best will get the result.”
Coughlan admitted Munster were not at their best in eking out a four-point win over Connacht and it is as yet unclear as to how many of the international players unavailable for that game will come back into the reckoning against Ulster. But he still feels the squad will benefit from the way they ground out the four points in tough going in Galway.
“It was always going to be difficult in those weather conditions,’’ he stressed. “We dug in and ground it out even though the conditions didn’t allow us to play the game we had in mind. Sometimes on nights like that, it’s better not to have the ball.
“I thought Strings (Peter Stringer) and Keats (Ian Keatley) kicked fantastically and kept them pinned back. Luck went our way too but there were a lot of positives.”
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