Old rivalry renewed as Leicester Tigers back on the prowl at Thomond Park

Back to back Pro12 defeats for Munster may represent a short, sharp shock for head coach Anthony Foley but what comes next on the European stage resembles something more akin to the return of a long, nagging itch.

Home and away Champions Cup pool tussles with Leicester Tigers, beginning this Saturday evening under the Thomond Park lights, bring back a plethora of memories for supporters, players and current team bosses alike as a long-standing rivalry between former Heineken Cup winners is renewed over the next fortnight.

Four times have the two former giants of the Heineken Cup met dating back to the 2002 final and the infamous Hand of Back in Cardiff with honours even at two wins apiece, although neither side has beaten the other on their home ground.

No wonder the Munster boss allowed himself a wry smile as he recalled his reaction to his side’s name coming out of the hat in Pool 4 when the draw was made back in the summer.

“Yeah, it brought back a lot of memories. We’ve had excellent contests along the way, finals and stuff like that. Both clubs have massive respect for one another and there’s a great appreciation between the supporters as well, a great knowledge and understanding there. I think everybody’s really excited about the two clubs facing off against each other this year.” Foley faced the Tigers in that fateful 2002 final when Neil Back’s unpunished interference at a Munster scrum in front of the Leicester posts added to his province’s European heartache but also experienced two victories at their Welford Road ground, which the men in red will visit in round four on Sunday, December 20.

He also featured in the final 30 minutes of Leicester’s famous January 2007 victory in Limerick when the bastion of the old Thomond Park was finally breached for the first time in European competition during it’s pre-redevelopment swansong.

Foley’s recollection centres more on the consequences of that 13-6 pool defeat. “It sent us in to an away quarter-final against Scarlets. It was something that was hotly contested, I think I came on in the second half and went off again before the end, that’s my memory of it. I remember they played the game really well, they controlled the game and it was an excellent result, becoming the first team to beat us at Thomond Park in the European Cup. It’s obviously a massive, massive achievement for them.” Former Leicester and England hooker Richard Cockerill, a benchwarmer during Leicester’s 2002 final triumph and now Tigers’ director of rugby knows history will count for nothing over the next two weeks but will nonetheless look to embrace the memories of those famous wins for these big games over the next two weekends.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Cockerill said. “We’re all looking forward to going to Thomond Park and that history between our two clubs, over finals and, you know, we were the first side to go to Thomond Park, the old Thomond Park, and win which for us was a massive scalp for us. It goes down in Heineken history and it’s a proud day in Leicester’s history and Munster should take that as a compliment.

“So I think everybody’s looking forward to revisiting those rivalries. Munster will come to Welford Road and we’ll have a warm welcome for them and I’m sure it’s vice-versa. I can remember a pool day (in October 2006) when O’Gara’s kicking it from 58 or 48 metres to win the game in the pissing rain (at Welford Road) and then we come to beat them at Thomond Park. That’s why we’re rivals, because we’re two good sides who have a real crack at each other. We’re not lovely places to go and visit are we?

“You go to Leicester or Munster, Limerick, to play rugby, the towns are built on their clubs, and that’s what we do.” Cockerill has brought all his battling attributes from his Leicester front row days to the coaching box, as combative on the sidelines as he was in his playing days.

Foley knows that and will expect nothing less this month.

“As a player he was aggressive, he was at the front of it, he was leading the charge, he was in that original ABC club,” the Munster boss said of Cockerill. “He led the charge from that Leicester front row. Watching him coach, he’s always got them up there and there’s a massive expectation coaching Leicester and he seems to manage it quite well. Now they’re sitting second (now third) in the (English Premiership) table and just going through their pack the other day there’s not many small men in that pack. He is a coach that understands you need to look after possession first and make sure the ball is going forward when the backs get their hands on it.” The description, it is mentioned to Foley, suggests the rival coaches may be cut from the same cloth. “Something similar,” he replied and Cockerill referenced what these upcoming fixtures will mean to the both of them as former players.

“Anthony will know and I’ll know that for us it’s more than just a game. It’s the side we played for and we’ve spent a lot of time at those clubs and we want to win because we care about the club. It’s not just a job and that adds just a little more pressure.”