GRAHAM ROWNTREE SAID that Munster opted not to train at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in advance of their historic clash with a South Africa XV to ensure that it will be an even more special night when they run out for the first time at the home of Cork GAA.
It will be the first time a rugby match will be played at the stadium on the banks of the Lee and with all 41,400 tickets being snapped up early, Rowntree and Munster want to make it as special an occasion as possible.
“We won’t train there until we actually play there. I want it to be a special moment,” said the former English international. “The lads are going to feel it right from the warm-up. Obviously, our kickers will go earlier and do their kicking, the change of lights and there’s obviously a different feel, dimension to it.
“The rest of the guys, they’ll see it in the warm-up, unless they’ve been there before watching GAA but I’m pretty sure they’ve not been in the middle of a rugby pitch in that stadium.
“It’s obviously going to be the same size rugby pitch, just a different feel, the hoardings around it, and the lighting, the lighting is different for the kickers.”
Rowntree and his players will have to quickly adjust to their new surroundings. They have not trained there and for Rowntree it will be his first time inside a major GAA stadium since he moved over to live here three years ago. It’s something he’s really looking forward to as he has great admiration for the GAA and has seen first-hand the remarkable success enjoyed by Limerick hurlers in recent years.
“I have not been inside Páirc Uí Chaoimh. I’ve not been to a GAA match, desperate too, just not had time to do it yet.
“I’m very aware of successful Limerick are.”
He’s also fully aware of the significance of the venue for this match, with the 41,400 tickets selling quickly when they became available.
“Been waiting for it for a long time. You can see by how quickly it was sold out. I’ve said before, we’re spoiled with our fans, our support base, how quickly they sold that out and grabbed those tickets. It shows how important it is to this province.”
The inclusion of the four big South African franchises in the URC means that even some of the fringe Munster players who will get a run against them tomorrow night will already have played against them in the league.
And it’s a message head coach Graham Rowntree will be drilling into his side as they prepare for the clash.
“Look how well they did last year, the South African teams, proved a lot of people wrong. We had some real ding-dongs, we’re about to have one now. The Stormers pushed us early on, went three tries up against us in Thomond Park. And the Sharks. We went over to Pretoria and Johannesburg, they were hard games.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for the South African provinces, always have done as a player and a coach. I played against them a lot when I was a player.
“But it’s an all-star URC team, some familiar faces in there and we know what we’ve got to deal with.”
Rowntree, who confirmed that Jack Crowley was being kept in Irish camp this week but that all the other Munster players who faced the All Blacks selection on Friday night had been made available for the team which he will announce today, said he laments the loss of midweek rugby in the professional era, not just for the sense of occasion but also in the reduced training load.
“I used to love in my time at Leicester, it meant you didn’t have to train as much in the week,” he said. “Nowadays, the nature of the game, you can’t play two games a week, you just can’t. There’s only Lions tours where you do it now, really. That’s why they take a big squad.
“It’s something different. A different feel to the week. I’m sure when we get down there the excitement will be through the roof, different atmosphere, different stadium, you know, how good for these young men, predominantly young men how good.
“I’m proper jealous of it, to be honest with you, playing such a game.”
