It doesn’t get any bigger than this – half five on a Saturday at Thomond Park
Munster captain Peter O’Mahony says his fingers are crossed that his team’s latest encounter with Clermont will be a night to remember. We reckon the Cork native will not leave the Champions League tie against the Top 14 giants entirely to chance.
‘They are a huge competitive side,’ he says. ‘I think you’ve seen that from some of their performances in the Top 14 over the last 12 months. Even when they are not going well, they’ve got guys who can punish you from any part of the pitch. They have some fabulous individuals and when they are going forward they are a very tough team to stop. We’ll have to be on our game.’
O’Mahony begins to name-check Clermont’s big names ‘Wesley Fofana, Aurelien Rougerie…’ before stopping himself. ‘They’re just dangerous all over. It doesn’t have to be from set-piece. (It can be) broken play. If you turn-over your ball you are going to be put under pressure immediately. Â That’s the way international teams play – that is the standard.’
The flanker makes frequent comparisons between the Champions Cup and Test rugby but feels Munster will benefit from having eight players involved with Ireland during a successful Guinness Series. ‘That’s great for the confidence,’ he adds. ‘Now they know what it is like to train and play at international standard. They will take that back here and drive the standards.
‘The last game I played was Saracens a few (six weeks) ago but it has been great to see the boys win the couple of games we didn’t really perform in. In the couple of previous years we may not have come out the right side of it. To get those extra one and two-pointers is crucial and it is great to see the boys grinding it out.’
The captain was delighted with Tuesday’s announcement of contract extensions for four keys players and believes Munster’s medium-term future is secure. As for his own contract, he says, ‘I’ll be in negotiations over the next couple of weeks but we’ll let that run its course. I’m concentrating on the rugby side of things.’
Concentrating on the next question thrown his way – about Clermont – O’Mahony says, ‘It is going to be hugely intense. It always is when we play each other. It’s going to get a bit fiery and neither team wants to give an inch but they are the games you want to be involved in. 100%.
‘European ruby is such a massive competition and it is so competitive now. It has almost got to the stage where it is cup final rugby from the first pool game, which is a bit bizarre. That’s the way we’ve got to take it and it is so vital for us that we win the home game first.’
Clermont lead the head-to-heads 3-2 but, like many sides, have never beaten Munster in Limerick. ‘Our winning record is irrelevant come Saturday evening at half five,’ O’Mahony declares. ‘That’s in the past.’
