Players still making hay

THE GRAND Slam seems almost to have been forgotten; a remarkable tribute to their collective levels of desire and professionalism. Realising that there is a core of the squad which is perhaps now in the twilight of their careers, there is a realisation these are the years to make hay.

Ronan O’Gara maintained, “It would be remiss not to mention the kick that all the Munster fellas got playing for Ireland and the joy we got out of that. We didn’t appreciate how big it was until we actually won the Grand Slam because we never had that feeling, no one ever had it.”

That said, it is clear they are anything but sated.

“I think the emotion we got and the satisfaction we got sitting in that dressing-room in Cardiff was huge and we’ve come back here with a new hunger and a new ambition, and I think there’s huge confidence in that group of players. When Tony (McGahan, coach) has the boys here he works the socks off them, he’s very technical and he’s very keen on improving skills. That gelled together really well and we’ve hit the ground running, and essentially April and May are championship months.”

Returning to the one-game-at-a-time theme under McGahan, O’Gara said: “He’s running a really smooth machine that just wants to churn out results and results, and I think we appreciate the ambition he’s shown and the players have shown. Being realistic, there’s probably half a dozen players that have three years more max and we want to try and collect medals and move on, and these are the games you like to be involved in.

“Last week was big against Leinster and this was a big game, but it felt no different to a Magners League game, which is odd, because before it felt completely different.”

All that said, a Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park will hardly be like a Magners League match. “No it won’t, but that’s great because it will be a debut for Munster playing there. I suppose one of the most enjoyable parts of the day was when the crowd started singing at Tommy Bowe,” said O’Gara, in reference to the moment when thousands in the home crowd serenaded the Ospreys’ Irish fullback with the Black Velvet Band, in tribute to his rendition at the Grand Slam homecoming in Dawson Street. Bowe, to his credit, saluted them.

“But you have to appreciate things like that, and in fairness to Tommy he took it as only Tommy could. Like, they don’t miss a trick here, do they? They have their fingers on the pulse here and they know exactly what makes this team tick, and I think they have done for years. It will be awful trying to replace that when you hang up your boots.”

McGahan smiled when asked about his players’ ruthlessness.

“I think they’re always ruthless, I’m lucky to see them every day in training. They have a competitive streak, a drive, an ambition to be as successful as they can. It’s unmatched. With the experience and age profile of the players, they realise they need to make the most of every opportunity and they’re certainly doing that at the moment.”

Sean Holley, the Ospreys coach, could not conceal his bitter disappointment, nor his admiration for Munster. “The only thing I can say is that today we were taught a lot of lessons and come second best in every facet of the game, both on and off the field. We’ve been well beaten by a champion team. We have to give them a lot of credit. Very disappointed. It’s been a very painful experience.”