JJ Hanrahan delighted to repay team for having faith

The lesson is thus: The Red Army still possesses the artillery to sack French citadels.

Victory in Perpignan on Saturday was the first time Munster successfully escaped hostile European territory without having to rely on Ronan O'Gara's right boot.

That alone provides justification for Rob Penney’s coaching philosophy and in the same breath writes another epic chapter in their modern history.

“It’s massive for us,” said hero of the moment JJ Hanrahan.

“I was thinking there in the team room just before we went out that Munster came to Perpignan a couple of years ago and got a win and, jeez, it would be great if we could do something like that and be remembered as one of those teams.

"Hopefully we're here again in the next few years and some of the young fellas coming through are thinking the lads before us did it . . . its good learning that we can come here and experience the atmosphere, feel the pressure and perform under it."

Highly effective
Recruited from Canterbury to modernise an archaic, albeit highly effective method of drowning opponents, the rules evolved to ensure a repeat of the 2008 Heineken Cup final defeat of Toulouse could not reoccur.

The ability to mix and match a brutal, tight approach with heads up rugby is what delivered four points at the Stade Aimé Giral.

One worry is O'Gara's successor, Ian Keatley, finished with a disappointing four from seven kicks at goal.

That meant they needed the magic feet of Castleisland and Rockwell’s latest gift to save the day.

Last October Hanrahan lost his head at Murrayfield, needlessly chipping out of defence, an action that contributed directly to Tim Visser racing in for the defining try in Munster's round one defeat. The 21-year- old came off the bench late Saturday for a disorientated Keith Earls and dazzled with the sort of finish not seen from a Munster 10 since Tony Ward lived in the jersey.

“The biggest thing personally from all this for me is just in a way of repaying the boys after letting them down in Edinburgh,” said Hanrahan.

Penney put it better. “JJ’s a good lad. We love him to bits.”

"He's well over Edinburgh. He came back and had a great match in Glasgow off the back of Edinburgh. He's a great future. We're giving him an opportunity to grow, steadily and surely. When he emerges with all his regalia intact and fully fledged he'll be a great little player."

Sprinted over
Had Hanrahan not stepped Joffrey Michel and sprinted over in injury time, Keatley's two missed penalties to leave it 9-3 at half-time would have been significant reasons for defeat.

"Look it, Ian came back after that and nailed everything," said Penney. "He would be the first to admit he didn't hit those balls that cleanly but he came back and contributed really meaningfully to the result."

Dominant scrum
Instead, this story is about a dominant scrum and a try born from Denis Hurley offloading off the floor, Tommy O'Donnell riding a tackle and freeing his hands. All when it mattered.

“Rob has done a brilliant job,” said Hanrahan. “He has educated us all in a different style of rugby and it’s not that it’s absolutely different spectrum altogether.

“He’s teaching us to play heads up.

“If you had seen us the other day we went around the corner a lot in Thomond Park and it worked out for us.

“Maybe in the past we might have stuck with type and stayed with around the corner but now we’re trying to get fellas to be able to do both and Rob is a massive part of that.”

Penney’s contract ends in the summer and is currently under review.

“When pressure comes on it does strange things to people,” Hanrahan continued. “We’re a good squad, you know.

“You could see Felix Jones’ superman tackles, diving over fellas. You could see our backrow getting turnovers. Keith Earls getting turnovers. Jimmy Downey. Everyone. They were all brilliant. Backline. Forwards. It was a team performance and the whole team believed we could win in the last few minutes and luckily we pulled it out of the bag.”