Foley: Nothing focuses mind like European Cup

Munster head coach Anthony Foley is expecting this week’s training to crank up several degrees as his players’ attentions turn towards the European Rugby Champions Cup and an opening game at Sale Sharks.

Foley believes his squad and their performances are building nicely after a slow start to the season, a feeling reinforced by last Friday night’s Guinness Pro12 victory over Scarlets at Thomond Park.

The 17-6 success may not have had the intensity of the previous Saturday’s derby win over Leinster at the Aviva Stadium but coming off a six-day turnaround and with nine changes to his starting line-up, Foley was satisfied with the way his players reversed some sloppy home performances in September to move into the top four of the league table.

Europe, though, represents a different ball game and with two big games looming against Premiership opposition, starting at Sale on Saturday followed by the visit of Saracens the following Friday night, the Munster boss is expecting the utmost focus as the province’s preparations begin in earnest this morning.

“I think everything cranks up when you start Europe. I think people understand the importance of every game in Europe and consequences of both the wins and losses, close losses and big wins,” Foley said.

“Everybody understands when you get to rounds five and six it is all the points you accumulate put you in to different scenarios.

“From my experience of it there is a level of intensity that is brought to day one of European Cup week that isn’t in any other week. Hopefully it will be there, we will see it Monday in our review and hopefully we will see it on the pitch on Tuesday.”

When Munster hit the training field at the University of Limerick tomorrow, Foley should get his wish with plenty of players eager to put their hands up for selection following two straight wins from the A team as well as the seniors.

And he can certainly expect to see inspirational second row Paul O’Connell fully revved up after a week off following the Leinster victory. The Ireland captain, who turns 35 next Monday, was excused training in keeping with his load management programme and Foley said he was one of a number of players who would be back in the mix this week.

Explaining their absences from last Friday’s win over Scarlets, Foley said: “Paulie didn’t train at all this week so we couldn’t put him out. Andrew Conway came off last weekend so on a six-day turnaround you can’t really look at fellas who haven’t trained. Felix Jones pulled out [on Thursday], he trained fully on Wednesday, passed a fitness test and woke up [Thursday] morning with a stiff neck so we had to be cautious with him.

“The other fella was Denis Hurley, [who] was sick during the week as well so he didn’t train at all this week. You can’t pick fellas if they don’t train. There is a lot of competition going around.”

Club captain Peter O’Mahony’s return to the starting line-up at the weekend accentuates the selection headache Foley has in the back row, where CJ Stander, Tommy O’Donnell and Robin Copeland have all impressed, with openside Sean Dougall also coming back into the reckoning after a shoulder problem ruled him out of the last two games.

“It was great to see Peter back there,” Foley said of O’Mahony’s 64-minute shift which followed on from his 18-minute return off the bench against Leinster, his first action since undergoing two shoulder reconstructions in April.

“I suppose everybody talks about the players who aren’t there. I have always focused my mind on the guys who are in the squad. There are guys putting their hands up left, right and centre to be selected.

“There is going to be a lot of thought put into it, we have another game with the A game in Clonmel. There are a lot of guys playing in that game that will have an eye on Sale as well.

“It is always good to have that kind of pressure and it is good to have a competitive squad going into the start of Europe.”