Munster V Ospreys  (43 - 9) 12th of April 2009

Heineken Cup Quarter Final

A fantastic result Jerry, was it what you expected?

Obviously we prepared to win but it was very satisfying to win that conclusively. We are delighted of course.

How is your shoulder holding up?

Its ok. I will have a week off now so will just do plenty of rehab and come off the painkillers and anti-inflammatory and see how it goes. I’m hoping to be in good shape for the rest of the season.

The Ospreys were probably the most difficult quarter final opponent, how did Munster approach the game?

We didn’t approach it any different than any other game. Playing Leinster the week before got our performance to where it needed to be. Leinster was a huge game for us as was the Ospreys. They have some good players but Paulie told us during the week just to play the way we know we can and that it would be good enough.

How did the fact that you had played so many of the Ospreys in the Welsh match 2 weeks ago affect your planning?

It might have given us a slight advantage, we knew the players well, and we had done a lot of analysis on them. We  know Tommy Bowe’s  game and had done a lot of work on the players like Shane Williams and Hook .The more you play them the more you understand their plays, there is only so much that can change. We know Williams favours stepping off his left and that Phillips snips back against the blind side. All of these little things being fresh in your mind are a slight advantage.

How was it in terms of the Irish squad guys coming back into the Munster set-up? Are there ever any difficulties with that?

No difficulty coming back into the squad. There used to be a bit of a two tier mentality. So many left for the National camp that you sometimes felt like you were just marking time until they got back. I know as I have experience on both sides. Tony McGahan has really addressed that this year helped by the All Blacks game and a Munster camp in Lanzarote for those not involved in the National side. This actually puts extra responsibility on the lads coming back to put in good performances.

Is there a difference in the pace and intensity of the Heineken Cup quarter final versus the games for Ireland? How do you adjust? Does your preparation change?

The way we perceive the game doesn’t change, obviously we want to win it. The intensity is as close as you can get to a test match. We prepare the same way. Sometimes it difficult when you play a lesser ranked team and the performance can drop off. This happened to us with Connaught but Tony McGahan is really focused on promoting consistency and on us always delivering a big performance.

At what stage do you allow yourself to relax in a game like the Ospreys? Is there a stage when you believe you have them beaten?

Last two weeks we have been lucky to have won comfortably. At half time coming in against Leinster we knew we were doing well but we didn’t want to give them any chances to get back in the game. There is always the chance that people can take their foot of the pedal. We know we have to play both these teams again and we wanted to put in our best performance. At this level every team has to be committed to playing for 80 minutes.

What are your memories of your last meeting with Leinster in the Heineken cup quarter finals 2006?

There was a huge build up, massive pressure and media hype. Leinster were coming in off the back of a massive win against Toulouse. It was a massive day for all the fans particularly those Munster supporters who live in Dublin. Axel Foley captain on the day pulled us all together and said “this is a day for men” it was emotional but he got the balance just right he had us right on the edge. 

What are you’re thought now looking forward to the Leinster match?

Obviously it is another huge occasion but luckily we are still in contention for the Magners league. So it is really important that we stay focused on the next two games. We need to stay focused week in and week out, keep consistent, keep delivering big performances.  It is good for us to have the Magners as a focus it means we don’t have too much time to think about the Leinster game until it is time to play it. One of the challenges of being successful is that you can’t keep relying on underdog status; we have to concentrate on playing as well as we can play every time we play. We need to just do the preparation and focus on what we do best.

Jerry Flannery in conversation with USN