Munster don't need to channel 2004 Red Sox, just their recent selves: 'Why not us... again?'

The 42

2 days ago

AS THE LIVE portion concluded and the press conference moved into the embargoed section for quotes to be published later in the week, Munster interim head coach Ian Costello stuck his hand up as though he was about to ask a question of himself.
'Would it be okay, lads — could I just mention something first in case it doesn't come up?' Costello said.
'From our point of view, just extend our deepest sympathies to the Foley family and also to the Payne family. They were two very important people in the Munster community and a massive loss to us this week. That's very close to our hearts this week.
'Brendan and Sheelagh were here (in South Africa) this time last year. Brendan picked up the phone and rang me Sunday morning to almost apologise for not coming and wished us the best.
'Obviously, Michelle and Shaun were huge in the club as well. That's really important to the group this week, especially that we're in South Africa as well. Very close to our hearts.'
Costello confirmed on Tuesday that Munster would seek to pay tribute to both Sheelagh Foley (mother of 'Axel' and Rosie Foley, wife of current branch president Brendan) and Michelle Payne (a former Munster Rugby staff member and wife of former full-back and team manager Shaun) ahead of the province's URC quarter-final against the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium this evening (5:30pm, TG4/Premier Sports).
Whether that materialises in some kind of pre-match gesture or simply in a blood-and-thunder team effort remains to be seen, but the Sharks will now be wary if they weren't before: a grieving Munster is among world rugby's most dangerous animals, famously capable of inverting the food chain.
John Plumtree's hosts have reduced their own capacity to confound this term, earning a third-place finish and a home quarter after conspiring to finish a disgraceful 14th last season, albeit while winning the Challenge Cup.
The Durban outfit, replete with Springboks and boosted today by the returns of the effervescent Lukhanyo Am and the nuclear-booted Jordan Hendrikse, still have their weird days: Zebre nearly flipped them over at home on 22 March and a week later, a Leinster third string rendered them catatonic.
More recently, though, the Sharks have seemingly locked into knockout mode: even with their advantageous position in the URC table and a home finish against two Welsh regions, Plumtree took a full complement to Europe in April where his side ground out impressive wins away to the more desperate Edinburgh and Ulster.
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They consolidated their home quarter with a domination of the equally urgent Ospreys and closed out the regular season in a 12-3 stinker against Scarlets.
After letting in 13 tries in three games to the Lions (home and away) and Zebre in March, the Sharks proceeded to concede just seven across their final five league games — three of which came at Ravenhill.
The sense that they are not serious people is beginning to evaporate, particularly in The Shark Tank where they have lost just twice this season in all comps — and one of those defeats was to a Toulouse side which still boasted Antoine Dupont at the time.
Munster, though, have been in shit-or-bust mode all month: by their own admission, today's quarter-final is effectively their third play-off game on the spin, having treated the games against both Ulster and Benetton as such by necessity.
With their season on the line in consecutive game-weeks, they appear to have ironed out a couple of flaws that would otherwise have proven fatal: their lineout is now functional and they comprehensively won both second halves against their recent opposition.
Costello pointed out on Tuesday that the province have 'very explicitly shifted focus over the last couple of weeks to make it about people; make it about people that we care about and individuals within the squad and what they contributed to Munster'.
The impending departures of Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Stephen Archer and Dave Kilcoyne have been well documented and even honoured already, but on Munster's 5-3 bench today is Rory Scannell, due to earn his 200th cap before the expiry of his own contract this summer.
And while sentiment will have played no role in his inclusion in the 23, teammates will today go to war for the younger Scannell brother, an affable 11-year servant, just as they have for more celebrated names in recent outings.
Tadhg Beirne, former captain O'Mahony, and half-backs Craig Casey and Jack Crowley are now the most prominent leaders in the Munster dressing room and they have all stressed the importance internally of staying on the right side of the line between physicality and discipline in Durban. Few sides can harness emotion better than Munster but it can equally lead astray the individual player, and a red card against the Sharks would be terminal.
The Sharks are now bigger favourites with the bookmakers to beat Munster than La Rochelle were in the Champions Cup round of 16, fancied by seven or eight points in most cases.
And yet it would hardly feel like an ambush were Munster to overturn their opponents in Durban. They have unapologetically signposted their intentions.
The 2004 Boston Red Sox have a lot to answer for this year. Their rallying cry as they broke the Curse of the Bambino 21 years ago, 'Why not us?', was co-opted as a theme by the Northampton Saints in the week leading up to their seemingly quixotic Champions Cup semi-final meeting with Leinster, and equally by the Louth Gaelic footballers as they ended their 68-year wait for a Leinster title.
Munster can instead invoke the province's own recent history as cause for belief.
Their 2023 URC play-off run also ostensibly began with two games left in the regular season, when they had to earn away results over the Stormers and the Sharks in Rounds 17 and 18 just to keep their season alive. Their run of form to the title was incongruous with what had come before.
And so, their question may well be, 'Why not us… again?'
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Cape Town, sure. Key figures from that 2023 success have moved on, including head coach Graham Rowntree whose tenure ended after a hosing by today's opponents last October.
But perhaps their deeper purpose and a bit of muscle memory will see Munster pull off at least one more upset before the curtain is lowered on several great careers and a turbulent season.
Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth (CAPT), Jason Jenkins, James Venter, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi
Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe
Munster: Thaakir Abrahams, Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey, Michael Milne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (CAPT), Peter O'Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Rory Scannell, Mike Haley.
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)