Munster's Jeremy Loughman: 'We can't let it be a one-hit wonder'
STEPPING STONE: Munster's Jeremy Loughman warns his side not to be a 'one hit wonder2'. Picture: ©INPHO/James Crombie
Munster’s emphatic victory over Ospreys can be an wonderful way to lay a foundation for this Saturday’s URC derby clash with Leinster at Croke Park but Jeremy Loughman has warned that his side’s 23-0 win last weekend “can’t be a one-hit wonder”.
Loughman and co. put a disastrous 42-33 loss at Zebre Parma seven days prior firmly behind them after a week of soul-searching on the training field as they blanked Ospreys and recorded a bonus-point victory with a performance that serves as a launchpad for this Saturday’s blockbuster round-four derby against their unbeaten rivals in front of more than 70,000 supporters at GAA headquarters.
The Ireland loosehead prop was a prominent member of a dominant pack in Cork that overcame terrible weather conditions as well as a strong Welsh outfit to deliver a statement performance after conceding 11 tries in the first two rounds and he said belief levels were strong after Saturday night’s win at Virgin Media Park.
"Exactly, yeah, it shows that's what we are, that's what we do,” Loughman declared.
"The two weeks before, there were some good elements and some disappointing elements, but I think we're back on track and now and we've just got to back that up, that's the main thing.
"We can't let it be a one-hit wonder.”
He added: “That's an excellent stepping stone there.
"We got our defence (right), we got that pressure kind of game that you have to practice in those conditions which will transfer to this week and hopefully the weather is a bit better and we get to play a bit more ball and hopefully we'll see a few more of those tries like the one at the end.”
As a youngster, Loughman, 29, played at full forward for Athy GFC and played alongside ex-Munster team-mate Joey Carbery.
"Joey played a bit. Centre forward or wing forward, he was serious, he was everywhere. He had all the skills.
"There's a lot more running in GAA than there is in rugby, so full forward suited me a bit better!”
Loughman has every reason to relish playing at Croke Park in the first Munster team to grace the stadium since the 2009 Heineken Cup semi-final loss to Leinster. He is aware it may also be the last opportunity to do so.
"Yeah, really looking forward to that now. I was at the England-Ireland game when I was younger, that was a special day.
"That's the really special thing. It's one of those stadiums.
"Because I played GAA when I was younger, you see that and you go to the games there and you see how special it is and then you get a taste of it for those few massive games, you remember all those big games that were played there like the Leinster-Munster game, Ireland-England is obviously a very special one for me, the Leinster (v Northampton) game there last year.
"And it's a huge occasion, like, I saw the tickets are up around 70-something thousand there, that's incredible.
"So it's something special to look forward to but it's just another game, too, you have to think like that. You can't get carried away now.”
Just a week on from their debacle in Parma, Munster’s feet will remain firmly on the ground but there will be a lot taken from their rebound performance in shutting out Ospreys.
“That was the main thing,” Loughman said. "The most exciting thing from the game, to get the four tries was nice and to be clinical, but to keep them to zero was really nice, especially after the last two weeks but especially after last week.
"Personally for us front five, that was a nice outcome there.”
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