O’Callaghan: ’Axel right man at right time’
Rob Penney was hopeful of signing off with a famous Heineken Cup-Pro 12 double but defeats by Toulon and Glasgow ensured Munster’s season ended in bitter disappointment.
And while O’Callaghan admits he was devastated by the defeats, the 35-year-old has given a ringing endorsement to Foley, who was his team-mate between 1998 and 2008.
But O’Callaghan has told his team-mates there can be no repeat of the near misses which have haunted this Munster side since they last won the Pro12 back in 2011.
“Everyone says we are a young squad and we are getting there, but you don’t get many opportunities in semi-finals and you have to be a little selfish and grab them,” said O’Callaghan.
“In two months time they will hurt more than now as they scar you. It was a disappointing way to send off a lot of guys, as we had quite a few moving on.
“But it’s exciting times, with Axel (Foley) coming in along with (backroom staff) Jerry Flannery, Mick O’Driscoll, Brian Walsh and Ian Costello.
“There is a great vibe around the place and everyone is mad keen. The last few weeks of the season the guys were really looking forward to getting back.
“But the requirement with Munster isn’t to be there or thereabouts anymore, it’s about winning silverware, and if we’re not winning then it’s not right.
“In Axel we have the right man at the right time. He has Munster running through his DNA. If you want to know our core values and what we stand for then spend 20 minutes with him — then you’ll see it.
“There are things we slagged over as players but when it came to rugby he never, ever missed an opportunity to improve.
“He was a guy you loved playing with and it means everything to him and his family. His dad played for Munster and his boys come into the dressing room and I just know they’ll play for Munster.
“It won’t be strange for me playing under him at all. If anything Axel has been coaching me since I was 19. I know his requirements and things he demands of you on the pitch haven’t changed. I love his ways.”
Yet O’Callaghan knows it is up to the players to make the difference, rather than simply the coaching staff.
“The onus is on the players,” he insists. “We have to stand up and run it. I know we will get great work from Axel to facilitate us and help us out.
“But you to be ruthless. The values he set as a player I know he will set as a coach. It is on us as players to grab it by the scruff and run it.”
But before he returns to Munster duty, O’Callaghan wants to tick a box on his rugby bucket list by playing for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham tomorrow.
He will also be following in a family tradition, with elder brother Ultan playing for the Baa-Baas against Combined Services back in 2002 during his time with Cork Con.
O’Callaghan has an extra incentive to perform well tomorrow, though, as he still harbours hopes of breaking into Joe Schmidt’s Ireland set-up before next year’s World Cup.
Stranded on 94 caps, he knows a fine display in London could force Schmidt to reconsider his international future.
“I’ve been in the dark international wise so it would be nice to throw down a big one and say ‘I am still here, still willing to fight it out’,” said a man who has not played for his country since March 2013.
“There isn’t a fellow that doesn’t want to go to a World Cup or get one more cap. That’s the same for me. Cap 95 would feel like cap one, they always have.
“I remember when my brother played for the Barbarians all the hype around it, and it was such an honour for everyone.
“He gave me the shorts he played in and they were my Sunday best after that, I got so much excitement from it. Now I see the same thing with my nieces and nephews.
“The Munster lads have been slagging me though, telling me I made my career hitting rucks and mauls rather than throwing the ball around, and I don’t drink – so I’m alien to two of the things the Baa-Baas require!”
O’Callaghan acknowledges his longevity will count for nothing over the next two years of his Munster contract if his performances do not demand selection.
“Munster means everything to me,” he says. “I am lucky to play for a team I care so much about. I love Munster. I know as well it’s a privilege and if I’m not performing or playing well I don’t deserve to be there. With two years coming up I need to go in there and throw it down.”
