Munster Defeats Wasps in Heineken Cup

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Irish Voice Sport

Munster Defeats Wasps in Heineken Cup

January 24, 2008

By Cathal Dervan

Declan Kidney’s side maintained their 10 year presence in the last eight with a typical honest day’s work as they recorded a 19-3 win thanks to a Denis Leamy try and 14 points from the boot of man of the match Ronan O’Gara.

The out-half, captain in the continued absence of the injured Paul O’Connell, was magnificent from start to finish as he looked to maintain Munster’s incredible run of success that now goes back to 1998.

O’Gara said afterwards, “I don’t want to speak about my own performance but one thing I will say is that I’ve really enjoyed the captaincy. During the week I was well aware that if we didn’t win I’d be the first Munster captain in a decade to preside over failure to reach the quarterfinals.

“That was pressure on my shoulders so before we ran out I asked the forwards for a big performance and they delivered. The sum of Munster’s parts is always greater than the individuals but there are some cracking athletes at this club.

“When you factor in that passion, desire and will to win for each other, it’s a good formula.”

A week after picking up a vital bonus point in defeat away to Clermont Auvergne, Munster were awesome as they 2006 champions downed Laurence Dallaglio and company.

“The most pleasing moment of this Heineken Cup was the way we stuck in there against Clermont last weekend,” added O’Gara. “We battled away for a bonus point and that proved crucial because the conditions yesterday meant we would not be scoring four tries against Wasps.”

Wasps were unhappy with the performance of referee Nigel Owens, who sent Simon Shaw and Lawrence Dallaglio to the sin-bin and left the holders on the wrong end of the penalty count, but O’Gara had no complaints with the Welsh official.

“The referee was strong and that was you needed. We studied him going into the game,” he said. “One of his big things is not staying on your feet at ruck time. If you went over the top when the pressure was on he’d penalize you and he was very consistent with that.”

Irish fans will look to O’Gara to carry this form into the Six Nations after such a disappointing World Cup campaign in France last autumn.

“A lot of the Munster lads played poorly in the World Cup, yet now we’re firing and you have to wonder why,” said O’Gara.

“I haven’t started thinking about the Six Nations yet and don’t want to until next week. I’ve enjoyed the last 10 weeks with Munster. We’ve come through a tough group and should enjoy that.”

Munster boss Kidney was wholesome in his praise of his side, which has reached the quarterfinals of the Heineken Cup for an unprecedented 10th successive year.

Kidney said. “This is a special day. To beat a team of Wasps’ caliber by this score was very impressive. It speaks volumes for all the players and the decision making out on pitch. We managed to scrape a point out of every game we played in the group stage and that was very important to qualification.”

Munster will now travel to Gloucester in the quarterfinals at the start of April, with London Irish at home to Perpignan.

Antrim’s Wish

ANTRIM hurlers pulled off the first major shock of the New Year when they defeated Walsh Cup holders Kilkenny in their opening game of the competition at Freshford on Sunday, but Cats boss Brian Cody is far from worried about the result just days after his team returned from a holiday trip to Dubai and Thailand.

“I don’t see it as a setback; we are just starting off,” claimed Cody.

“We are back into training now and we are looking forward to the rest of the year. I thought Antrim were very good there and their skill was very good out there, their striking, their scores. They also impressed me with their defending.”

Victorious Antrim boss Terence McNaughton has again called on the GAA to allow his team to enter the Leinster championship in the wake of Sunday’s impressive win.

“I’ve always said that the GAA need to do something radical, if we’re ever going to improve,” said McNaughton. “We appreciate what great hurlers they are in Kilkenny and Cork but we need to do something to get more counties in with a realistic chance of winning the All-Ireland.

“Kilkenny are red-hot favorites again this year, unless Waterford come through, or Cork come off the strike.”

Cats boss Cody has backed McNaughton’s call to allow Antrim to switch from Ulster to the more competitive Leinster championship.

Cody added, “Sambo knows what’s best for Antrim hurling and I would love to see Antrim playing in Leinster. Why not? It’s a long way away from the point of view of challenge matches and competitive hurling.”

Steelers for Croker?

TALKS are ongoing between the GAA and National Football League bosses regarding the return of the Pittsburgh Steelers to Croke Park for an NFL game a decade after they met the Chicago Bears in the American Bowl match at the Dublin venue.

Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna revealed, “Tentative discussions have been held and nothing is definite, but the GAA have an excellent personal relationship with Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney and as far as I know some talks about bringing his team here for an NFL game were held.

“Whether anything comes of those talks remains to be seen, but there have been some friendly conversations between the GAA and the Rooney family.

As we know, American football has already been held in the stadium over the years and the NFL is keen to hold more games outside of America.

“With the approval of the GAA’s Management Committee, a game could be held here again, but the use of Croke Park for other sports is ultimately a matter for Central Council. As American football is a non-competitor of the GAA I would not foresee any major impediment.”

The Navy footballers are also expected to return to Croke Park in 2012 to play Notre Dame.

Gooch Fit

KERRY boss Pat O’Shea expects to have All-Star forward Colm “Gooch” Cooper available for the concluding stages of the NFL when the player returns from an extended holiday in the U.S. that will include a trip to the Super Bowl in Arizona.

“Colm has planned a trip to the Super Bowl and he will stay out in America for a few months,” said O’Shea. “He has time off work but he will have work commitments to come back to and he will be in plenty of time for the start of the championship. He might even be back in time for the end of the league if Kerry are still involved at that stage.”

Meanwhile, O’Shea expects to confirm later this week that star midfielder Darragh O Se will be available for the 2008 championship campaign. “We want Darragh back. He is such an influential figure in the Kerry camp that whenever he decides to quit, it will be a big blow to the county. Hopefully that won’t be for a while yet,” O’Shea said.

McGrath’s Denial

WATERFORD hurling star Ken McGrath has rubbished rumors that he is to sit out the county’s National League campaign because of a groin injury.

“I don’t know where that story came from. Last September I went to see my surgeon Gerry McEntee and he said the best thing for the injury would be to rest it as soon as went out of the club championship,” McGrath said.

“That’s what I’ve done. I’ve done very little training since last October or so and given myself plenty of rest. At the moment, I’m easing back into it and I’ll see how it responds, but those stories about missing the league are off the mark.”

Veterans Tony Browne and Paul Flynn have both confirmed they will be available to manager Justin McCarthy for the 2008 season.

Moran Backs Brogan

GAA: Ousted Dublin captain Colin Moran has backed the incoming Alan Brogan to be a major success as skipper.

Moran told reporters, “I’m happy enough to pass it on. I enjoyed my time at it and I’ve no doubt Alan will do a great job. I’m looking forward to walking out behind him for championship matches later in the summer. His level of performance and contribution to the team for the last number of years has been there for all to see.”

GAA Shorts

WEXFORD hurling boss John Meyler is confident he can persuade veterans Declan Ruth, Rory McCarthy and Michael Jordan to commit to the county jersey for at least one more season. “The three lads still have a lot to offer at inter-county level, and it would be a shame if they were lost to the game,” Meyler told the Irish Daily Star . . .

LOUTH boss Eamonn McEneaney has moved to end the rift that marred his team’s summer and offered an olive branch to Mark Brennan, Nicky McDonnell, Jamie Carr and David Reid, who walked out on the squad after the Leinster SFC defeat to Wexford last June. McEneaney revealed, “I’ve always said the door is open to them. They all have my number and they know how to contact me.” . . .

CORK’S players are maintaining their strike threat after a breakdown in new talks in their long running dispute with their county board, with GAA bosses now threatening to relegate their hurlers and footballers if they fail to fulfill their fixtures in the forthcoming National Leagues . . .

TYRONE have been handed another massive injury blow with confirmation that star forward Stephen O’Neill is expected to miss the NFL and could be a doubt for the championship with a long standing knee problem . . .

LIMERICK hurling legend Mark Foley has admitted that he almost called time on his inter-county career after the All-Ireland final defeat to Kilkenny but it happy to throw in his lot with Riche Bennis’ side for another year . . .

CROKE Park officials are in talks with five potential sponsors, including Guinness, Toyota, Vodafone and Coca-Cola, as they look to change the format of their All-Ireland sponsorships at the end of the season.

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