A fan’s view: Munster win was built on traditions our province holds dear

Supporters, from Limerick, James O'Riordan, Conor Lenihan, Kevin O'Connor and Rory Cunningham, before the Heineken Champions Cup match between Wasps and Munster. at Coventry Building Society Arena. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

“Rugby is a wonderful show: Dance, opera, and suddenly the blood of a killing,” Richard Burton once said, and Munster’s win over Wasps had a little bit of it all.

Prior to kick-off, Munster were given only a fighting chance and that was mainly based on the province’s proud history in Europe rather than the team taking the field.

The Red Army may have been born in May 2000 when Munster announced themselves as a European force with a win over Toulouse in Bordeaux, and while this victory against Wasps is not in the same category in terms of quality or prestige, it does rank at the top the list for resilience and ability to overcome the odds.

Munster have produced some memorable moments in Europe, from that win in Bordeaux to the Miracle Match, beating Leicester Tigers in Welford Road, the demolition of Ospreys in the 2009 quarter-final, and two Heineken Cup-final wins in Cardiff.

But while those teams may have faced challenges or players missing through injury, they never went into a game without so many players and with coaches unable to oversee the on-field training.

As the final whistle blew at the Ricoh stadium and ‘The Fields’ was belted out by the travelling supporters, I was drawn to the numbers that mattered: 7, 34, 12, 4 and 5.

• Seven weeks since Munster last played a game;
• Munster were missing 34 players;
• 12 players made their European debuts;
• Munster scored four tries;
• Munster left Coventry with five match points, which sets them on course for knockout rugby in the new year.

Covid has produced some unique challenges for teams but none of the Irish provinces have faced anything of this magnitude before. Players stuck on another continent, players isolating and unable to travel, coaches and backroom teams having to try to assist with the training remotely meant there was no blueprint for Ian Costello and the academy team to follow. Munster could have forfeited the game as the Scarlets have done, for safety reasons.

They could have looked to bring in experienced players on loan, but instead they looked at the forgotten pathway of the AIL and put their trust in youth.

Like the best Munster teams of the past, the experienced leaders stood up to be counted and new stars were born. Players who could never have dreamed of playing European rugby this season now have caps, tries, and a bonus point away win to their name. Scott Buckley’s lineout accuracy and try saw him win the player of the match award; Eoin O’Connor’s work-rate and block-down showed that there’s more to come from him; John Hodnett demonstrated Tadhg Beirne levels of jackelling skills at the breakdown; Daniel Okeke revealed what a tremendous athlete he is; and Patrick Campbell announced himself on the European stage with a bang.

Away wins in Europe are to be treasured; bonus-point away wins are even rarer; but that result against Wasps is the sort of win that can drive a squad on to greater things. Bring on Castres!

@overthehillprop