Montpellier was a ‘no brainer’ for Tomás O’Leary
Less than 24 hours into his new French adventure and he was receiving calls from home with the shocking news his old teammate, coach and friend Anthony Foley had passed away overnight in Paris.
Cue what he described as a “mad”, “tough” week.
O’Leary was one of the many Munster alumni in exile to turn their beacons towards home for Foley’s funeral in Killaloe on Friday before, like Peter Stringer with Sale, he doubled back on the trip to see to duties on the pitch.
In his case that was five minutes off the bench at the back end of Montpellier’s Champions Cup assignment against Leinster but the events of the previous few days were never far from his thoughts.
“Axel was my first number eight when I came into the professional game. Everything has been said about him. He was our captain, our leader. He never asked us to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. Then he became a teammate and a friend and he went on to coach me as well. The thing that stood out for me was his loyalty to everything Munster and his belief in everything Munster. That was always unwavering. He was just the epitome of Munster, everything Munster stands for. It’s total shock. I still can’t believe it’s even happened.”
O’Leary’s devotion to his province was never debatable but a diminishing input on the pitch after Conor Murray’s emergence prompted a three-year stint at London Irish before returning last year for a second spell at home.
Injuries didn’t help second time around and, though worries have been expressed about a reserve pool containing Duncan Williams and the unproven Abrie Griesel and John Poland, O’Leary was limited to two runs off the bench this season.
His career needed some “impetus” and that meant new surroundings.
“When I didn’t get into the European squad with Munster I was just a bit frustrated. I had a look to see if there was anything else out there and Montpellier were looking for a nine for four months so, fair dues to Munster, they let me go.
“Even with Cathal (Sheridan) getting injured they probably could have stood in my way but they were great to let me go and I appreciate that. It’s great to get back involved in European rugby and hopefully in the Top 14 the next few weeks. At this stage of my career that’s all I want to do. I want to contribute on the pitch. It’s good to come over here. It’s a totally new experience and I want to enjoy it and see what happens with it.”
Montpellier was, as he said, a no-brainer. With Benoit Paillaugue’s left foot in a cast, the Challenge Cup Champions needed back-up to the Australian Nic White so O’Leary signed on for four months as a medical joker and checked into a hotel beside the club’s Altrad Stadium.
His new teammates introduced him to some of the town’s culinary delights on Sunday night and the next priority is sourcing an apartment before his wife Julie and son Jamie arrive during the week. With his London Irish experience behind him and a dressing-room replete with South Africans, Georgians and the odd Kiwi and Aussie, English is widely used which makes the bedding-in period easier.
“I suppose I had gone to England and gone away from home and enjoyed the experience. That didn’t make this as daunting. The fact that I was sitting on my ass in Munster meant I was getting frustrated. This was just too good to turn down.”
What happens comes the end of his contract come February remains to be seen but Montpellier’s physical dominance in the 22-16 defeat of Leinster on Sunday has whetted the appetite for the experiences to follow.
“Leinster did extremely well to come out of it with a bonus point. That could be important at the end of it and you have to applaud them for that. Look, you can see the power that we have in our side. And the firepower. That’s the difference between French rugby and rugby in ireland: it’s just the sheer size of some of the lads that they are able to sign. It’ll be good to play with them as opposed to against them for a bit.”
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