Nov 04,2024
Diarmuid Barron believes Munster can use their uplifting performance against an All Blacks XV as a kickstart to their season, as they look to get back on track following the departure of head coach Graham Rowntree.
While Munster fell to a fourth defeat in a row to the touring New Zealanders on Saturday evening, Ian Costello's side performed above expectation, considering they were without all but one of their frontline internationals, and had six academy players in their matchday squad.
Even aside from what was an entertaining game of rugby, Saturday’s occasion lived up to expectations with a full and vocal crowd of 26,267 at Thomond Park.
It was a welcome feel-good night in Limerick after a turbulent start to the season. Four defeats in their first six games of the URC, one of those versus Zebre, led to the shock departure of Rowntree on Monday, while the province have also been dealing with a difficult injury list, which is now beginning to shorten.
And with just under four weeks until they are back in action, when they welcome the Lions to Thomond Park at the end of the month, Barron says Saturday’s performance, and the upcoming break, have come at just the right time.
"I think that is pretty much it. I think you would be in a better headspace," said Barron, who captained Munster in the absence of regular skipper Tadhg Beirne on Saturday night.
"The break is well needed. There are some sore bodies around the place and hopefully it adds to our fit players list in terms of getting lads back when we do play again. Just to refresh the mind, I don't think going and going and going does anyone any favours, particularly when results aren't going your way and you are just missing out on things.
"Like the week we have had, the fixture tonight will help, but I think the break will help even more and I have no doubt we will come back stronger from it."
The hooker was left with mixed feelings after the 38-24 defeat on Saturday, as he spoke of his pride in how the squad rallied this week, while also being frustrated not to pull off a famous win.
And the 26-year-old says captaining Munster against a New Zealand side is "right up there" among the biggest moments of his career.
"I suppose the feeling in the dressing room at half-time, even at the end, I know we came away at the wrong side of the result, but if you could bottle up the feeling of the exhaustion, and the feeling that you have gone to war with lads younger than you, lads older than you who are close to 300 hundred games in, and lads that it’s their first game.
"It’s a very special feeling, particularly here. Memories like that last with you for a long time.
"It’s a pity we didn’t win obviously, it would have been a particularly special memory. There’s too many things to take away but that would probably be the most special part of it."
While the players will now get a week off to recharge the batteries, interim head coach Ian Costello (above) must now sit down with the rest of the province’s decision makers as they start the hunt for a permanent boss.
"We said we’d let this week go and we will coordinate on Monday and look at what that selection process looks like – the recruitment process," Costello said on Saturday.
"There is a bit of work in that; profiling the coach we are looking for, how they would add to what we have already because, genuinely, we feel like we are doing an awful lot of things really well and that alignment and integration, we want someone that is going to add to that.
"Somebody that is going to add to the three or four years of work that we have done. You talk about consistency and continuity, add to that possibly."
And while Costello is taking on the interim coaching position alongside his day-to-day role of head of rugby operations, he says there will be no rush towards a quick hire.
"There isn’t really because there was very little disruption to the day-to-day coaching. Mike [Prendergast] coaches attack. He is a world-class attack coach. Denis [Leamy], the best defence in the league the last two seasons. Kyri [Andi Kyriacou] coaches and the forwards and George [Murray] and Mossy [Lawler] are still there.
"From within we have added some Academy coaches to support the group and my job is probably just to blend it all together.
"If it takes a month, if it takes three months, if it takes seven, the key thing is we get the right person, the right for the squad for what we have built already.
"I think that’s where we have to be really clear. We have to have confidence in the direction we are going, the strategy we have had, the vision we have had in the last couple of years, and then find a coach.
"If it takes the rest of the season to get the right person, so be it," Costello added.
