Why Munster believe their hardest summer ever will pay off

Munster skills coach Mossie Lawler said the main focus of the province's pre-season was "to make sure that we have a healthy ship". 

Mossie Lawler said new Munster head coach Clayton McMillan has "done his homework and he understands what our DNA is". Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

First impressions count, particularly inside a professional sporting environment, and Clayton McMillan hit the sweet spot with Munster’s players and coaches when he tapped into the province’s DNA with his old school pre-season campaign.

The addition of hill running, boxing and swimming brought back memories of pre-seasons two decades ago for Munster skills and assistant attack coach Mossy Lawler, who believes the back to basics approach from the new head coach can make the current squad both more resilient and better able to deliver consistent performances across a campaign.

Indeed, Lawler saw proof of the New Zealander’s impact during last Saturday’s season-opening bonus-point URC victory at Scarlets and now he wants to see a repeat when McMillan takes charge of his first home game as boss at Thomond Park this Saturday when Cardiff visit Limerick in round two.

“I suppose this time last year we had a bonus point win against Connacht as well at home but the couple of weeks after just weren't consistent enough,” Lawler told the Irish Examiner on Tuesday, referring to the historic first-time loss to Zebre Parma that followed in round two 12 months ago. Munster would lose three of their next four league matches that followed and McMillan’s permanent predecessor, Graham Rowntree, a title winner 17 months earlier, departed shortly after.

“I think the work we've done in pre-season has set us up for success,” Lawler continued. “We had certain goals in relation to, I suppose, gaining a little bit more fitness and size and strength. I think you can see that in the players at the weekend.

“How fit we were, the amount of players that were able to go for 80 minutes. But just our starting point and how physical we were in attack and defence in our collision work. So that was probably the most pleasing thing for me to see off the back end of a really, really tough pre-season.

“It's a different perspective. It's a different way of doing things, but it's worked for us.

“I suppose Munster Rugby has been built on grit and resilience over our history. And in fairness to Clayton, he's done his homework and he understands what our DNA is. So he's layered that into what we try to achieve during pre-season.

“So there was a little bit of extracurricular activity on the boys in the afternoon. After they lifted in the morning, then they did the rugby. So it was an extra layer and an extra stress on top of them.

“But it definitely built bonding. It definitely built that grit and resilience that I suppose we've been reared on in Munster Rugby. And as a coach, it was just really, really good to see.” 

The sight of Munster players grinding up the nearby Cratloe Hills this summer may have induced some PTSD in former wing/full-back Lawler, but he added: “I remember some sessions out the back on those hills under certain regimes where there was no science to it.

“It was like you go until you drop. And I don't think it was as barbaric as that this pre-season, but the boys worked damn hard.

“I think that group like that, if you asked them to run through a wall, they'd run through a wall. But the fact that they ran through walls together and each of them manned up and went through that together as a group. That was just awesome to see.” 

Lawler believes the shift in emphasis was much needed.

“Look, something had to change with our injury profiles last year. You can’t run a ship when you consistently have 15 to 20 players out.

“I’m not going to go into that too far but the focus in pre-season was to make sure that we have a healthy ship, a healthy deck, that we could put our best foot forward and I do believe that if we have our full team to select from then we will be a powerful force this year.

“I know Clayton has spoken about how we went about pre-season and the emphasis the players had put on their gym work and their fitness conditioning in the afternoons on top of their rugby.

“I heard Shane Daly saying it was the hardest pre-season he’s ever done so from that point of view it will stand to us. We’ve got a healthy ship at the moment so very much hopeful looking forward.”