Sean O'Brien: 'We've got our grit back and that's down to McMillan'

McMillan’s back to basics, old school pre-season was well received and centre O’Brien confirmed this week that belief within the Munster squad was sky high

O'Brien of Munster is tackled by Faustino Sanchez Valarolo of Argentina XV at Thomond Park. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

With the URC table-topping Stormers coming to Thomond Park this Saturday night, Sean O’Brien knows Munster will need every bit of extra grit and toughness Clayton McMillan has introduced since his arrival to extend their unbeaten start to life under the new head coach.

The hosts and the visitors, both former champions, are the last two teams standing with perfect records from the first five rounds of the 2025-26 URC season, with the Capetonians topping the table on a superior points difference. Yet Munster return to the league campaign following the autumn Test window in confident mood as the new coach bounce continues apace.

McMillan’s back to basics, old school pre-season was well received as the New Zealander got off to a flying start following his summer move from the Chiefs and centre O’Brien confirmed this week that belief within the Munster squad was sky high as they prepare to embark on a challenging 10-game block ahead of February’s Six Nations with the boss still making a favourable impression and impact on the players.

“Definitely, even the way we train,” O’Brien said. “We're playing a lot smarter rugby, I think. We're playing in the right areas of the pitch and we're not trying to force things too much. He's gone back to that bit of an edge that Munster have always had, and he's really honed in on that and I think it's something that's really working for us.

“You can see it in our performances. Our defence and our grit and toughness has gone up to another level this year and I think that's majorly down to him.

“It's just the fight and keeping in the fight,” the former Connacht man added, “getting that bit of grit that Munster are always known for. We've just zoned in on that again.”

Munster have been impressed with head coach Clayton McMillan. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

This Saturday evening’s Thomond Park clash will require a serious performance from Munster as they look to build on the opening block of the campaign which delivered wins over Scarlets and Leinster on the road, and more exacting home victories over Cardiff, Edinburgh and Connacht.

McMillan’s men also enjoyed a challenge victory over Argentina XV at the start of this month but the next phase of the season, including four Champions Cup pools games, split by three URC matches of which two are holiday derbies, looks a lot tougher, not least with the opening fixture this weekend.

“We know what the Stormers are going to bring and they're going to be trying to move us around the park,” O’Brien said. “Up front, they have a really good ball, good set-piece, so fronting up against them will be massive with the forwards and in the tight and then just in the loose then, trying to get good dominant collisions on them and stop their offload threat.” 

The Munster players have been carried away with their early success, O’Brien said, but there is confidence stemming from the victories earned from less than perfect performances.

“Things are looking good here, but we still have loads to work on and improve on. That's a good thing. You don't want to be peaking early in the season, and we're definitely not, because we know we're not playing near our potential at the minute.

“We review every game on a Monday or Tuesday when we're back in. We know from playing in it, and we know from reviewing it as well, we're just leaving a lot of opportunities behind or missing some opportunities.

“And we're still winning games, which is a sign of a good team, I think. If you're not playing well and you're still winning, it leaves a lot to look forward to, because we still have so much to work on, and it's never boring.

“It's too early for (getting carried away), but the belief is sky high. Like I said, we're winning games, but we're not playing well. We're nowhere near our potential. Donk (McMillan) always talks about raising the floor, not the ceiling.

“I think that's definitely something we're doing, because we're not particularly happy with how we're playing, but we're still winning matches. So, yeah, we know that when things start to click a bit more, we get through phase attack a bit more and things like that, we'll beat anybody on our day.”