THE early morning sun shone brightly through the large, glass window at Lansdowne Road, forcing Peter O’Mahony to squint uncomfortably and move his chair so he could sit in the shade.
Yet this season is all about O’Mahony and his young Munster colleagues stepping out of the shadows and creating their own legacy.
A new tournament — the European Champions Cup — is about to kick-off. Yet to all intents and purposes, it is the Heineken Cup rebranded. And for Munster, this, as much as their fabled win over the All Blacks in 1978, is what has made them.
Famous days; names like Harlequins, Toulouse, Stade Francais, Gloucester, Leinster, Biarritz and Leicester cemented their legend. Yet years passed and players moved on.
First Peter Clohessy went, along with Mick Galwey but before the panic button was pressed, a young man called Paul O’Connell had emerged to gather the baton and carry it forward. Ronan O’Gara would remain the playmaker for a decade and a half, but his career would end too. John Hayes, Peter Stringer, David Wallace also said their farewells and we wondered if Munster, as an entity, would leave the stage too.
Yet they renew time after time, defy the odds time after time, getting to the semi-finals of the last two Heineken Cups, even when they were considered a beaten docket.
And now?
They are no longer called yesterday’s men but instead a group of unknowns. Located in the group of death along with Clermont, Sale and Saracens, they are expected to crash and burn in the inaugural Champions Cup. An old face, Anthony Foley, is their new coach. Their season began with two defeats from their opening four Pro 12 games.
And then it happened. They went to Lansdowne Road and won. Against Leinster, the same Leinster they had never beaten at the rebuilt Lansdowne Road, the same Leinster who had taken their place as Ireland’s premier team.
They outplayed them with 15 men and hung on in there when they were reduced to 13 to record a brilliant win.
“We needed that,” said O’Mahony, their 25-year-old captain, who returned from a shoulder injury to make his first start of the season in that victory over Leinster.
“A lot of guys hadn’t beaten Leinster in Dublin, ever. It’s six years since we won up there, so there’s no point downplaying it — it’s a huge derby and while it’s important at the end of the season to be top of that table, the bigger picture for now was the four points.
“We’re building, it’s always our goal to win, we’re building confidence in the new staff, in each other, it’s a young group, the older guys at the minute are still in their mid-20s, but we’re a side taking it week by week at the moment.”
In sporting parlance, rebuilding is a catchphrase for excusing why teams lose. Yet O’Mahony seeks to drift away from that mind-set, suggesting instead that this year can be the one when they win in Europe for the first time since 2008.
“I’m just saying the age group is young. A lot of guys, Murray, Zebo and plenty of other young fellas are there with Ireland caps, Lions caps. We’ve plenty of old fellas too, Paulie [O’Connell], Donncha O’Callaghan, who have been there and done it.
“Just because we have a young age profile, I’m not saying we lack ambition. My view is we should be winning competitions this year. If anything, our youth makes us hungrier.
“When you hear people talking about past Munster teams, their big wins, their great days, I’m not saying they make us bitter about it, but we know in our heart of hearts that’s not our group. So many of this squad were in the stands for those games shouting them on.
“But this is a different group. And we want success. We’re hungry for it. We want a new story. We want to be winning competitions soon, it’s our goal.”
So too does their manager. The young team has a young leader.
Foley, who has Munster rugby in his DNA, has experienced his own teething troubles since assuming full control. From a leaked email which was meant for exclusive reading by his coaching staff, his players got to read some stinging criticism of their performances.
Then there were defeats at the hands of Edinburgh and the Scarlets and inevitable questions were asked about whether this was too much too soon for the Clare man.
O’Mahony, though, is his trusted lieutenant and whatever stress his manager is going through is pain he is willing to share.
“You know what you get with Axel, every day of the week, you get it straight. He’s honest. The last couple of years I’ve come to understand how pressured the job is but it makes it easier that I’ve been there with him before. He was coaching the under 20s when I captained them.
“He knows the gig, knows what it’s like to play for Munster and more importantly to win in that shirt.
“He’s done a great job with the backroom staff too, a lot who’ve been there and done it too. They’ve played in the shirt, know what it means to play, they’ve won in it too. It’s a big help to us.”
Some would say this Munster team need all the help they can get. Yet they have been written off before and have overcome bigger teams and bigger names before.
O’Mahony is carrying on a tradition by talking big. Europe is to be conquered. The battle commences this weekend.
