Peter O’Mahony: ‘Axel is at the forefront of our minds every week’
A sea of scarves and messages left outside Stade Yves-du-Manoir and Thomond Park.
The funeral in Killaloe.
The totality of the game against Glasgow and the sight and sound of Foley’s boys Tony and Dan joining the players for ‘Stand Up And Fight’.
Peter O’Mahony’s press conference was another.
Still reeling from the shock, the team captain sat beside Rassie Erasmus at the top table for a press conference no-one really wanted and broke down as he fielded awkward questions about the events in Paris.
“I’m not going to do him justice here,” he said.
He was wrong, of course.
O’Mahony’s words and deeds, and those of everyone else in the organisation, since mid-October stand as a fitting tribute to Foley but the return to Paris for the postponed meeting with Racing 92 this week stands as the sternest test of their resolve and well-being since.
Comfort will be found in the mundane and the everyday.
“Yeah, I think so. That has to be the best way of going about it.
“At the end of the day we’ve a European Cup game to go and perform in, so we’ve a big week’s training ahead.
“Obviously, there’s no two ways about it, it’s going to be a difficult week for a lot of guys but you’ve got to stick to the routine, stick to what we normally do in a week and try and keep the head down.
“Look, we’re not going to think about Axel any more than we do every other week. The style of play we’re playing has him written all over it so we reference him in every meeting, more than once.
“Len (Dineen from 95FM Radio) asked me was he going to be at the back of our minds for the week but he’s at the forefront of our minds every week. So it’s not going to be any different that way.”
Munster travel with little wriggle room.
Owen Williams’ last-gasp, long-distance penalty in Welford Road last month has seen to that but Racing’s struggles have been far more pronounced in Pool 1 having lost all three games thus far whereas that defeat to Leicester has been Munster’s one blip in their last 10 games.
Considerable scope for hope then, even if O’Mahony did his duty in talking up the Racing squad, their territorial pride and the role Ronan O’Gara will play in geeing up his side for this delayed meeting with his native province.
“Exactly. ROG is too big a competitor to let this one slip and he’ll be teeing them up for us.
“We are preparing for the best team we’ve played against this campaign and the quality they have and the performance they are going to put in … so we’re going to have to be good.”
O’Mahony had the luxury of putting his feet up last weekend while Munster travelled to Galway and he wrapped his weekend up on Sunday evening by taking in Racing’s narrow 17-11 Top 14 loss away to Toulon.
He claims to have been suitably impressed despite the Parisian side’s loss. What struck him most, as it does with anyone who watches the reigning French champions, was the sheer size and physicality of the side.
Munster’s tradition may be one of sleeves-rolled-up confrontation but engaging Racing in a wrestling match away from home doesn’t appear to be the most profitable approach, regardless of how motivated the hosts may or may not be.
“I don’t think we can do that because they’re too big, do you know what I mean?
“If we go out and try and beat them up I don’t think we are going to come off the best out of that one ...
“It’ll be nothing too different from what we have been doing over the last 12 weeks or 12 months.
“It’s going to be a snapshot of that game plan.
“There won’t be a huge amount of change but we have to be the best we’ve been all year to go and get a performance in Paris.”
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