"It showed a lot of character to come back today and win

By Gerry Thornley

WHEN the singing and screaming had relented, and Munster's players could quietly contemplate their latest win, the fickleness of sport was hammered home to them.

"We were just talking about it inside," said Anthony Foley, "and it's amazing how a season can change in just two weeks."

Saturday could have marked the end of Munster's season. Instead not only does their season endure until April, they have a long-overdue trophy to brandish. Surreal was the word Foley used to describe the lap of honour.

"It's just great to see the joy on the supporters' faces. When they follow you everywhere, and the heartache they must have suffered in the past, and they just keep coming back with us, it's as much for them as it is for us."

Foley is one of the six who had played in all three losing finals before this one.

"It showed a lot of character to come back today and win comprehensively. Losing had become a friend you don't want. We've had it for the last three years. The fear of losing was there again today and it really drove us on."

Mostly though, Munster had to focus on the basics.

"Maybe in the past we've dwelt on things happening around the final," admitted Foley, "and it's taken our eye off the ball a small bit. We just focused on the start of the game, we talked a lot about the process of winning games, and focused on getting our set-pieces right, and developing the game from there."

The few moments of doubt came in the wake of seeing Ronan O'Gara limp off, though if the Munster players are to be believed, no such concern entered their heads.

"Rog went off and Hendo came on. Quality for quality," said Foley. "There wasn't any doubt. Jeremy could place-kick, Rob could take it up the centre as Jason would do, and Jason is a very good outhalf. It showed the strength of the squad."

Indeed, Rob Henderson's return in time for this final proved a Godsend.

"Only Hendo could have got that last try," enthused Galwey. "It was a fantastic score. He showed why he was picked for the Lions and why he's a very special player. It was great to see him come from the bench and get a match-winning try like that, because he's been very unlucky with injury."

Jason Holland, aside from cursing his initial tendency to "kick the ball down their throats", maintained he wasn't too bothered by his enforced switch. And even when admitting he hadn't been able to practice his goalkicking since November because of a troublesome groin, Jeremy Staunton has been prolific in this competition.

"Straight from the start Dutchie (Holland) hit me with a skip pass and sure that's the dream start," said Staunton. "I was comfortable throughout the game, and that's come with getting a few games on the trot. I'm getting more and more confidence, and I'm beginning to enjoy 15. I wasn't frustrated at all with mistakes or whatever. I knew I was in control of what I was doing, which was the main thing."

Munster will break up now due to the Six Nations, and will have two weeks to prepare for the European Cup quarter-final with Leicester. Alan Gaffney admitted ideally they would need a run-out of some kind (most probably an interpro) the week before playing at Welford Road.

"The biggest worry we have is some of the players go off to play for Ireland and hopefully they'll come back in one piece," said Galwey. "We couldn't afford to lose pivotal players like, say John Hayes, so hopefully," added Galwey with a glint in his eye, "everybody will do well for Ireland, win the Six Nations maybe and come back in one piece."

For Neath, significantly, this was a third defeat in three matches against Irish opposition. In fact, all their six wins have been against fellow Welsh sides, given they also lost to Edinburgh, and gamely though they played, errors proliferated in their game. Ultimately, Neath hadn't the individual or collective skill levels to live with Munster's intensity over 80 minutes.

You sense Welsh rugby needs a culture change as well as a new structure which raises standards, and Lyn Jones is the most outspoken proponent of a provincial-type system; all the more so after this.

"I'm sick of one-eyed people in the game trying to stand in the way of progress," he said. "If they can't see the way forward then they shouldn't be in the game. There's too many bloody-minded people hanging on to the past."