MUNSTER COACH RASSIE Erasmus believes that Ireland’s successful November series can propel the four provinces into a period of glory.
With wins over New Zealand and Australia to add to this summer’s triumph in South Africa, Erasmus thinks that a thriving international game can only add to the aspirations of the four home provinces as they return to European action in a little over a week’s time.
For all of the Irish teams it will be a busy few weeks ahead either side of Christmas, but Munster surely must have the most daunting of schedules ahead of them starting this Friday against Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun.
That game will be followed by their back-to-back Champions Cup clash with Leicester, which is then trailed by inter-pros against Connacht and Leinster. All before three tough Champions Cup games in three weeks against Racing 92 (twice) and Warriors ends a testing eight-week run.
But with five wins on the bounce, Erasmus is confident that the good feeling that the international game has generated will propel everyone forward.
“For all of us it’s great, for Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht, for everybody. If it’s good for us it must be great for Leinster because they have about 15 or 17 guys in the 22 or even more.
It’s good for Irish rugby, for world rugby, that Australia and New Zealand have been beaten by Ireland. It’s good for the Northern Hemisphere. Overall leading up to the 2019 World Cup those things will filter out to our level and club level.
“We have players like Jack O’Donoghue who played against Canada. He has learned a few things, he has talked to Conor Oliver about that. He talks to John Foley about that and it starts spreading and rubbing off and dreams become reality. It is a feelgood factor and the same for the other three Irish provinces. It’s great.”
Erasmus was scheduled to find out last night what players would be released to him by Joe Schmidt for Friday’s game, but it is expected that none of the players that featured in the win over Australia will be available.
Last weekend saw Jack O’Donoghue, John Ryan and Billy Holland feature in Munster’s seven-try routing of Treviso, two weeks on from the occasion of their first Ireland caps earned against Canada. All three will be available again this weekend, although Tommy O’Donnell, who was handed the captaincy in recent games, might be a slight doubt due to a dead leg.
Former Ulster centre Sammy Arnold picked up a shoulder problem on his Munster debut, but there was good news for Jean Kleyn and Dave Foley, both of whom made successful returns from injury.
“No real big concerns, more guys coming through Jean Kleyn and Foley coming through games.
“Sam Arnold has a bit of an AC problem on his shoulder. We don’t hear this often and (we don’t know) how serious that it. But apart from that I don’t think this weekend, and the club games also I don’t think they are serious injuries,” Erasmus said.
