Stoop success makes Zebo believe Reds can go all the way
Rob Penney’s side face a huge challenge against Clermont Auvergne in the semi-final in Montpellier on April 27, but Zebo claims that yesterday’s 18-12 victory in west London has fuelled the side with belief.
Munster have endured an inconsistent season and only scraped into the quarter-finals as the eighth best seed, but they showed the best of themselves here — particularly during a game-changing spell of 15 minutes at the start of the second half.
With Paul O’Connell magnificent in what was only the third game of his comeback and Ronan O’Gara recovering from two early misses to score all 18 points, the old-guard showed they still have a huge amount to offer.
But with the likes of Tommy O’Donnell and Peter O’Mahony also impressing, Zebo believes this is a squad that can emulate the Heineken Cup-winning sides of 2006 and 2008.
And after making a hugely impressive return from injury himself, Zebo sounded a rallying call for his side.
“There’s no mountain we can’t climb,” he said. “It’s exciting times for Munster Rugby. I feel we can do it [win the Heineken Cup].
“We will look forward to Leinster next Saturday [in the RaboDirect], that’s the next job, and we’ll take Clermont when they come. That should be a good one, Clermont are obviously a quality side on the top of their game.
“We needed a big performance. It’s cup rugby now, and that’s what is really exciting about this competition.
“One-off performances are what it takes to get through to the next round. We really fronted up and did what we had to do.
“A good few of the younger players really stepped up today. Harlequins are a really tough side. But that first 20 minutes of the second half was crucial and I’m just glad we managed to come out on top in that period of the game.”
And Zebo hailed O’Gara and his team’s pack as they laid the foundations for a well-deserved victory.
He added: “ROG with the boot showed his unbelievable mental strength, missing the first two but then coming out to slot over the pressure kicks.
“He was unbelievable today. We just wanted to lay a platform for the pack to be able to do their thing.”
And Casey Lualala paid tribute to Munster’s fans after this win, the province’s fourth away quarter-final victory — a competition record.
The visiting support drowned out the Harlequins fans as they travelled in numbers, and Lualala admitted he was blown away by the reception the team received on their lap of honour.
He said: “I just said to the boys, ‘how the hell did they get all those tickets?’
“If I had another moment I would do that lap again because I was sucking it in. It’s the same kind of passion they’ve got back in Canterbury.”
Yet after an inconsistent season for Munster this was a demonstration of what they can do when they are in the mood. And Lualala admitted the vital period after half time was the best rugby he has seen from the team since his arrival in the summer. But his reasoning behind the upturn in form is the upturn is the weather.
“Is it the best rugby we have played since I arrived? Very much so. And the weather plays a big part. If you can play in this type of weather week in, week out it makes a massive difference.
“It really does help in terms of footing, using your footwork and stuff like that. I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks and just building on this win because it’s a real confidence boost for everyone.
The centre added: “We never lost faith. Somehow we’ve been somewhat inconsistent this year but today we had no excuses — either go home or go hard.”
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