Nash: 'It's interesting being called champions, every team wants to beat us now'

Calvin Nash missed that knockout derby clash having failed a Head Injury Assessment in the previous week’s quarter-final win at Glasgow Warriors and he revealed his only previous appearance at Aviva Stadium had come on his Ireland debut

BKT United Rugby Championship, Kingspan Stadium, Belfast 10/11/2023

Calvin Nash has a simple theory about Munster carrying a target on their backs since lifting the URC trophy last May – start acting like champions.

With a trip to Dublin and a renewal of rivalries with old foes Leinster at Aviva Stadium this Saturday, it was a timely intervention. The last two weekends have served as sharp reminders about Munster’s new-found status as titleholders, the relief of finally ending a 12-year wait for silverware experienced in Cape Town almost six months ago replaced by the realisation that rivals are only too eager to take a shot at removing the Reds from their pedestal.

Ulster took them down a peg in Belfast in round four of the current campaign 10 days ago, delivering a first defeat for Munster since April 1 to end an eight-match unbeaten run. And following an extremely hard-fought 10-3 home win over last season’s Grand Final opponents the Stormers last Saturday night, Graham Rowntree referenced the point about the champions being there to be shot at.

The head coach focused his observation on specific areas of the game, Ulster having targeted his side specifically at the breakdown while the Stormers went after them at the set-piece. Munster just about survived the South African examination at Thomond Park on but both areas will need to improve again, the boss suggested.

“The big one for me, it keeps re-occurring, is the breakdown,” Rowntree said. It’s everything to us and the opposition. It’s just putting time in the tackle to stop opposition ruck speed; doing that legally.

“But it’s us, our ruck speed, it’s us clearing people out appropriately. I’ve noticed a real heightened pressure from opposition in that area of our game. So that will receive a lot of attention this week, as it did last week.

“What can we do? Keep getting better. I’ve pushed us on this summer, because we can’t stand still. I’ve just got to keep pushing us on, getting better, train harder, make sure everything we do in training is relevant.

“We spoke about that target on our backs but if we just keep getting better, things will take care of themselves in my mind. Keep bringing people through and getting better.” 

Rowntree’s players know that too, and in-form wing Nash said: “It's interesting being called champions, every team wants to beat us now, so that means we have to act like champions every week. That's our aim, to start acting like it every week.” 

Munster may not have played to a title-winning standard in harsh conditions last Saturday but it was a champions’ performance to see off the Stormers, or “grind it out”, as Nash put it.

It will take another one at the Aviva this weekend, especially given the Reds’ URC semi-final victory against them there last season.

“We beat them in their own park last year and I reckon they'll be well up for it. It should be a good game,” the wing said.

The 26-year-old missed that knockout derby clash having failed a Head Injury Assessment in the previous week’s quarter-final win at Glasgow Warriors and he revealed his only previous appearance at Aviva Stadium had come on his Ireland debut against Italy three months ago, though he did face Leinster in a Rainbow Cup victory at the RDS in April, 2021.

“I actually don't think I've ever played up there against them, believe it or not. It'll be a first one for me if I get picked, I've never played against Leinster at the Aviva.

“I've played there for my (Ireland) debut. Yeah, it was cool. I have great memories. Look, hopefully make a few more next week."

Nash’s form last season, in which he became a regular starter in tandem with Shane Daly as Keith Earls endured a stop-start season in terms of fitness and Andrew Conway was sidelined throughout, earned him that call-up to the Ireland World Cup training squad during the summer. Nash did not make the final cut but he considers the experience a rewarding one.

“They're a great team and they've great coaches around them. I learned loads in the summer and I always said that regardless of what happened I was just going to give it my all for the summer.

“Likewise now that I'm back with Munster I'm going to give my all to the team. It was a massive privilege to get picked but Munster is my main focus now again.

His good form has continued this autumn, although with Earls and Conway both having retired now, the latter due to the knee injury that kept him out of action throughout 2022-23, Nash has not changed his mindset of striving to succeed week in, week out.

“Since I came into Munster my approach has always been just give it your all regardless of what happens. Look, it is absolutely terrible news about Conway. Himself and Earls were always lads that I looked up to and learned off. For years I was chasing them and stuff.

"It is obviously sad to see Conway go the way he is and fair play to Earlsy the career he had and getting over to the World Cup and everything. I would still be on the phone to him sometimes just because he is a good lad really and he is a great person.

"It is sad to see them go, but obviously we want to kick on again and that is the way things go I suppose, isn't it?”