Garryowen old boy John Mitchell doesn’t need lessons on Munster ethos

Wasps attack coach John Mitchell started his ‘have boots, will travel’ rugby journey in Limerick back in 1990 when he was recruited by Garryowen to play in the back five of the scrum in the first season of the All-Ireland League.

Munster may have the inside track on Wasps from coach Ian Costello, but the English Premiership club also have some ‘local knowledge’ on what rugby means to the folk in Limerick and Cork.

Wasps attack coach John Mitchell started his ‘have boots, will travel’ rugby journey in Limerick back in 1990 when he was recruited by Garryowen to play in the back five of the scrum in the first season of the All-Ireland League.

The Waikato provincial star may only have spent a season playing in Ireland, but he has never forgotten his time there and much of what he learned then will be imparted to his players ahead of Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup clash in Coventry.

“You are taking me way back now,” said Mitchell when asked about his time at Garryowen. “It was the 1990-91 season and the first year of the All-Ireland League — it was a wonderful experience. We ended up playing Cork Con in the decisive game of the season for the championship and there were 10,000 people stuck around Dooradoyle.”

Garryowen only needed a draw to take the title, but went down 9-3. Kenny Smith kicked a penalty, but hit the post with a couple of others for the home side, while a penalty try, conversion, and penalty from Ralph Keyes allowed Michael Bradley’s Con team to win the bragging rights and take the inaugural title.

The disappointment of losing apart, it was the day that Mitchell learned all about the passion for rugby in Munster as the two rival cities went head-to-head.

John Mitchell. Picture: Getty Images

“I remember the days of playing Shannon, winning 6-3 and having to live in the defensive 22 for what seemed like 75 minutes of the game,” added Mitchell. “Then there was Young Munster down the road. I went there for a scrummaging session one night and afterward I felt as though I never wanted to lock in a scrum ever again. They love their rugby in Munster and they have really good values around the way they play the game. They always give it their best shot and they have become a lot more organised and smarter in the professional era. You can see the benefits of centralisation and they will be buoyant after what Ireland did to the All Blacks in the autumn.”

Mitchell will be back in Limerick on Sunday, 23 January, 2022, in Round 4 of the Champions Cup. What he hopes is that Wasps will be seeking a notable double over Munster having “taken them deep” in the opening game this weekend.

What he won’t be doing, however, is taking anything for granted. He has first-hand experience of what it means to ‘stand up and fight’ for rugby in Munster.

Saturday, January 26, 1991

Garryowen 3 Cork Constitution 9

GARRYOWEN: D Larkin; R Wallace, P Danaher (captain), K Smith, G Quilligan; N Barry, I Barry; B O’Kane, D Murphy, D Madden, R Costelloe, P Hogan, W Sexton, J Mitchell, M O’Donoghue.

Scorer - Pen: K Smith

CORK CON: K Murphy; D O’Dowd, C Murphy, N Murray, B Walsh; R Keyes, M Bradley (captain); P Soden, P Derham, P McCarthy, S Hayes, D Lynch, L Dineen, V Donnelly, O Barrett

Scorers - Try: Pen Try; Con: R Keyes; Pen: R Keyes.

Referee: Denis Templeton (Ulster).