London Hosted The Latest MRSC Q&A

A very enjoyable and good natured Q&A in London last Friday evening kicked the weekend in London off in style.

A bumper crowd turned out to welcome Head Coach Anthony Foley and squad members Damien Varley and Conor Murray with MRSC London Chairman Jay Briganti acting as MC for the evening.

With the largest attendance at an MRSC London event thus far, with approximately 400 fans, it was the perfect start to a brilliant weekend in London, though with a bittersweet ending.

Many of the questions focused on the preparation for the Saracens match the following day, and on the challenge the London side presented, with keen interest in how their artificial 4G pitch posed to Munster. A wide range of subjects were covered, including whether club or international success means more to home-grown players, and the Irish team selection policy. Conor spoke passionately about how proud he was of his Irish and Lions success, but how winning games and succeeding with the team he grew up supporting and with the guys who he works everyday eclipses everything in his eyes and he can’t ever imagine that being replicated anywhere else. Injury updates were also given, and Axel also went into details as to the reasons why the game seems to be more abrasive than his playing days. While the size of the players have increased, scientific study is showing that the increased standard of fitness means that the frequency and force of collisions has increased, though advances in conditions mean players last longer than when the game first went pro.

The changing role of the All Ireland League was discussed too, with the restriction to two professional players per side seen as a decisive limiting factor in the pathway of players coming into first team contention at Munster, though injury has allowed a number of club players come in and play this season. One of the most popular questions posed was which rule in rugby would each of the panel like to change. After a bit of uncomfortable musing – where I’m sure the panel were wondering how honest they should be, Conor Murray insisted he’d like to get rid of scrums, or at least speed them up! Damien retorted he’d like to get rid of scrum-halves, but was keen for more clarity on the laws of playing the ball in the break-down/tackle situation, as he feels different referees have very different interpretations. Axel rowed in with the back line on this one, feeling that too much time is lost and not enough clarity given around the scrum.

As always, on such a night there was time for something lighter too, and Dave Kilcoyne was unmasked as Munster's dressing room prankster to the delight of the audience. Sadly for us, Varley was too gentlemanly to go into detail. The formal part of the evening closed with the MRSC Choir singing our guests out and Irish trad band Celtic Crunch entertained those left behind.

The closeness of the fans to the team and management continues to be unique to Munster when viewed along side other professional teams and is a testament to how much they value the fans. The respect and loyalty of the fans is reflected in this which was palpable throughout the weekend.