Tadhg Beirne has said that Munster’s hard-fought win over Racing 92 on Saturday night was “exactly the performance” that the late Anthony Foley would have been proud of.
Their former head coach and Heineken Cup-winning captain tragically passed away in October 2016 on the eve of the match in Paris versus Racing. A decade later, the Irish province hosted the French club in Cork in an emotional anniversary European match, and they eventually recorded a 33-25 win the day after Olive, Foley’s widow, presented the team with their jerseys on Friday.
Munster needed a late Craig Casey try to clinch the opening round win, but the grittiness of the performance pleased Beirne. “We spoke about it all week, but the focus has to come back to what we’re trying to achieve and what we’ve been doing over the last few weeks,” he explained in a post-game TV interview on Premier Sports.
“There was no point in shying away from how big a week it was, and we had the honour of having Olive present us with the jerseys on Friday in Thomond Park and that was very, very special to the group.
“It’s exactly the type of player he was…”
“We certainly wanted to put in a performance that he would be proud of, and I feel like it was a proper Munster performance. We had to dig in properly and fight and fight for everything and it’s exactly the type of player he was and exactly the performance he would have been proud of.”
Munster signed off after the victory with a post-game huddle where they sang their ‘Stand Up and Fight’ song. It was a reprise of how they honoured Foley in 2016 after defeating Glasgow in Limerick in a European game the day after the funeral.
“It’s about getting everyone together, the whole squad,” explained Beirne. “It’s not just about the players, it’s about the staff, all the emotion that went into this week for him. It was just a fitting moment to honour him just like the lads did 10 years ago against Glasgow.”
Munster’s victory over Racing was achieved with 20-year-old rookie Charlie O’Shea making his first Champions Cup appearance just weeks after debuting for the club in the United Rugby Championship.
With Jack Crowley a long-term injury casualty, the academy prospect had the No.10 shirt for the Pairc Ui Chaoimh match ahead of the benched JJ Hanrahan. He contributed six points and much more to the victory. “He really came into his own, in fairness to him, as he has been in training,” enthused Beirne about O’Shea’s display. “I’d say his confidence is only growing, as it should be.
“It was a huge opportunity for him, starting his Champions Cup game. He stood to the occasion. His kicking was outstanding, he controlled the game really well and he fitted right in, so credit to him. But at the same time, we’re not surprised because he’s been doing it every day in training.”
With their European commitments now over until December’s round two, attention has turned to next Saturday’s URC derby away at Leinster, the league’s reigning back-to-back champions. Munster won last year’s clash at Croke Park but repeating that rare away victory won’t be easy at Aviva Stadium, especially as Leinster hammered Clermont 48-23 in France this weekend.
“It [beating Racing] gives us a bit of confidence but it’s no easy place to go. We know that and we’re back there next week. They’ve had a huge win again on Saturday and they’re firing on all cylinders like they usually are.
“It’s a huge challenge for us. We’ll relish it like we did last year, but it’s about not getting ahead of ourselves. That’s the big thing, isn’t it? It’s about knowing what’s coming and it’s a big physical game. It’s going to be tougher again than it was out there. We’re away from home, so I’m looking forward to it but certainly a big challenge.”
Head coach Clayton McMillan was delighted with how Munster managed the emotion surrounding the Foley anniversary match. “Absolutely. I’ve been hugely impressed with how the guys have managed the week,” he said. “We didn’t allow too much emotion to affect our preparation in the early part of the week.
“Clearly there was a lot at stake in terms of just being Champions Cup but wanting to honour the legacy of Axel with a performance that we could be proud of. Now it was far from a perfect performance, but what the team has shown is a bit of grit and a bit of stickability and a willingness to fight.
“We have seen that every week so far, and we were put in the same situation (against Racing) and managed to find a way. Hopefully people will see that in the team, and we will continue to keep growing our game.”
Scrum-half Casey added: “The confidence in the group is actually spot on. You can see where we’re growing. We’ve improved a lot and there’s a good buzz within the group. But this week it was really important to get the win for Axel, for all our crowd, for Axel’s family and all the Munster faithful. It was a bit of a different week. There was a different feel all week.
“You’re trying to pull back on the emotion and trying to concentrate on a performance, but it’s different. It felt different all week. It felt like a one-off game. It didn’t feel like we were going into the first round. It felt a lot more special than that and a lot more meaningful. So thankfully we did pitch up because that man deserves it. He deserved the performance and hopefully he’d be proud of us.
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“I was on the East Terrace (in Limerick) the week after he died and I couldn’t have been prouder of Munster that day – you wanted to be a part of a group and a club like that, how well we rallied around everyone that week. I was only in sixth year (at school) myself, but it definitely drove me to want to be a part of this club.
“Like I said, it’s a special week; he’s a special man. His legacy will be with every single Munster team from here until the very end of time. We still talk about him today. We wrap every game with Axel. We talk about him constantly. So, he’s a very special person. His family are very special to us and thankfully we honoured him with a win.”
Casey also had a message for the Lions following Friday’s tragic passing of forward Hyron Andrews in a French hotel. “We’d love to send our love and our wishes to Hyron Andrews’ family and all the Lions and all his past teammates.
“It’s absolutely horrific. We’ve been there ourselves, so we’re sending all the love in the world to ye. We’re really thinking about ye, and shout out to the Lions for pitching up today. It’s a tough thing to do.”