Rassie Erasmus readies for emotional Paris return
But, he said, Anthony Foley is in their thoughts every day since his sudden death on the morning of the original fixture back in October.
Munster have been a driven force since that devastating day and will start the first of three key Champions Cup games looking down on everyone else from the top of the PRO12 table.
Erasmus said Foley is never far from their minds.
“He’s every week in our thoughts. Of course we’re playing Racing. We’re building gameplans and sometimes targets around Axel. Next week will be an emotional week but we’ve had a few emotional weeks so hopefully we’ll be able to channel it in the right direction.”
Erasmus will have a full hand to choose from for these three Champions Cup games having had to rest a string of frontline internationals for the trip to Galway.
“It’s always been like this since I got here in June, Joe phoned us and said those are the games that you must manage the players. They are also supporting the Irish teams in the year of the European Cup. They want the players just fresh when they get to Test match rugby and it’s the same for the other provinces, so no, we wouldn’t have to do that.”
Erasmus is not getting carried away with Munster’s form and is thinking long term. “There is certainly a lot of potential but we will still make a lot of mistakes with these young guys. In the next two or three years if we trim down our squad and get some of the guys who are not performing out of the system, and start boosting some of these young guys I think that’s the way we go.
“We will obviously not mention names here but there is great potential in the group of 43 plus the academy boys, which we must make sure we handle correct.
“You see what Thomond Park looks like when it is full and there is a nice vibe and everybody is happy and the town lifts a little bit when we are playing well, and the people come to the games.
“They have only experienced that, the guys like Jaco, since Axel has passed away, even that week was so special that they got used to how Irish people are thinking. I’m not sure if the non-Irish guys would know that. But I can tell you that the non-Irish guys like Jaco (Taute) and Thomas Du Toit, they certainly love it.
“And we are currently talking to a few Irish-qualified players to try and get them back into the system because that would also be important.
“It’s an awesome team to be a part of, most people would want to be a part of it.
“I will have a good look at individual performances. The toughest thing is to break continuity and combinations but then if a guy really plays so well and is knocking down the door it would be stupid not to give a guy like that a chance.
“Currently as coaches, we are playing with a few ideas in our head. There are guys that performed so well that you can’t ignore them, but on the other hand, the other guys — it’s one big game.”
Erasmus said he had no issue with prop John Andress deciding to retire from Munster a few weeks ago and then being drafted in as cover by Connacht. “I think he was speaking himself about this. He decided his body wasn’t up to it and one can understand that. He took a few bumps and bruises in his career. Pat (Lam) actually phoned me on Tuesday evening and said, ‘I hope this doesn’t look funny but I’m going to use John Andress’ and obviously they were playing us and he trained with us the previous year. It’s fine.
“If it’s a lifeline for John and he has a short-term contract and he feels he can handle it, great. There was nothing sinister about that.”
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