Damien Varley: Munster are going to

The scars of Munster’s last meeting with Toulon remain with Damien Varley but the hooker is determined the time is right for the province’s new breed of stars to make their mark in Marseille on Sunday.

Varley is one of just six starters still with the province from the January 2011 Heineken Cup pool encounter at Stade Felix Mayol, which Munster lost 32-16 on route to a first pool-stage exit in 13 seasons.

It is a game he remembers as being dominated by the Toulon pack in an atmosphere he regards as one of the most intimidating he has faced. Yet as Varley, 30, prepares for Munster’s renewal with the now defending champions in this weekend’s Heineken Cup semi-final he believes he is now part of a younger side on the way up and all the better for their near miss at the same stage last season.

“I think we came under a lot of criticism last year and after the (quarter-final) win against Harlequins people began to respect the younger guys and the evolving team that it is,” Varley said.

“The last time I played Toulon, most of that team is retired now so, you know, I think we’re capable of big performances, we probably haven’t been consistent enough with them and I think playing Toulouse (in this season’s quarters) was our first, where we were able to play consistently for a long period of time.

“Unfortunately the week after against Glasgow was a disaster for us, but I think we can make a mark. The standards at Munster for the last 14 or 15 years are still the same and we’ll bedrawing on that to progress further.”

Keith Earls, Johne Murphy, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell and James Coughlan are Varley’s fellow survivors from a resounding defeat in Toulon with Donnacha Ryan and injured duo Mike Sherry and Niall Ronan making the bench that day. The rest have either retired or moved on.

“I think it was probably the most intimidating game I’ve played in my Munster career,” Varley said. “I remember getting off the bus and walking through a kind of tunnel of supporters and the abuse we were getting.

“You could feel the heat and the passion from them and we probably didn’t turn up that day. We gave away some stupid penalties, we’d sin bins and we were just physically dominated. That’s my memory of Toulon.

“We’re probably a new side now, a younger side and we’ve drawn on our experiences and our losses from last year and our ongoing progression this year, so I think it’s an exciting fixture.”

With the excitement, though, comes a degree of trepidation for Varley heading towards the weekend.

“There is always an element of fear with us. In the Heineken Cup we have such high expectations. Going down there against Toulon, it is going to be a huge battle. It is one of my biggest memories from a few years ago, being destroyed up front. They have gone from strength to strength over the past number of years and they are an extremely fast and physical side, so there is definitely a bit of fear and we are going to have our work cut out for us.”