My last game wearing Munster red in Europe was a year ago down in Bordeaux. After the 47-29 loss at Stade Chaban Delmas, Noel McNamara came over to commiserate.
He didn’t have to. You remember small gestures from the opposition. Especially after a crushing defeat.
McNamara, the Bordeaux-Bègles attack coach, wondered what I was doing next season. The decision had been made to leave Munster and I’d retired from international rugby, but my options were open.
The body felt good. As a young family, we were contemplating a year or two in France. I let Noel know.
“We are only after signing the Italian scrumhalf Martin Page-Relo from Lyon. Didn’t know you were on the market!”
Damn. What a swansong that would have been, deputising for Maxime Lucu as he deputised for Antoine Dupont in the Six Nations. Living the slow life in the port city. I guess what is for you won’t pass you by.
Munster made the cardinal sin that day of having to chase the game. Never a good idea in the south of France.
Matthieu Jalibert prodded a grubber behind our defence for Damian Penaud to score an early try. It got worse with Louis Bielle-Biarrey running riot as they galloped in for three more tries before half-time.
Last Sunday, Bordeaux beat Toulouse 30-15. Seems like no team can cope with them.
I’ve never been coached by McNamara but our careers ran side by side. Like so many excellent Irish coaches, he has to earn a living in another country.
Hopefully, in time, all the expertise Noel is gathering in France can be utilised by the IRFU.
But who knows?
The same narrative has been spun around Ronan O’Gara since he was hired by Racing 92. That was 13 years ago. And Felix Jones is back in South Africa for a second stint with the Springboks after coaching England.
Why would they leave these cutting edge and presumably well paid roles?
They won’t come cheap any more but Rog, Felix and McNamara should be top of the list whenever the provinces go to market.
I see Munster are leaning into more Kiwi expertise to replace Mike Prendergast.
McNamara is overseeing the best attack in rugby right now. Bar none. The Bordeaux pack took the heaviest blows an enormous Toulouse eight could land in last weekend’s quarter-final yet my takeaway was Ben Tameifuna bounding off the bench to bulldoze the six-time winners.
Even Antoine Dupont struggled to contain Bordeaux’s Ben Tameifuna during their win over Toulouse in the Champions Cup. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho
You could select an AIL three-quarter-line behind this Bordeaux scrum and McNamara would make them sing. It helps to be running off creative geniuses such as Lucu and Jalibert at halfback.
Bielle-Biarrey had a relatively quiet game and still Bordeaux ripped off six tries to two against the second best team in Europe.
Toulouse put up a hell of a fight. They led 15-5 early in the second-half before Dupont’s sinbinning prompted the defending champions to hit stride.
Can Bath lay a finger on them in the semi-final at Stade Atlantique? Can Leinster or Toulon in the Bilbao final?
Toulouse did have a choke hold on Bordeaux after a brilliant try, created by Thomas Ramos and finished by Teddy Thomas. It was not enough. Lucu and Jalibert looked a cut above the French halfbacks Dupont and Romain Ntamack.
Of course, Jalibert claimed the 10 shirt during the Six Nations and it doesn’t look like he’ll hand it back to Ntamack this side of the 2027 World Cup.
Joey Carbery, my former halfback partner and good friend, knows all about Jalibert. It sounds like Joey is returning to Leinster this summer after two seasons in Bordeaux. I would have loved to join him in claret and white.
Despite being cursed by injuries, Carbery made an impact in the Top 14 at both 10 and 15. I tuned in for every game he played. He’s still only 30, there are plenty of miles to run in his career.
I don’t think Leinster can begin to think about a return to Bilbao, the scene of their last European title back in 2018. We all assumed that would lead to two or three more stars on the jersey by now.
It just shows how hard it is to scale the mountain. Since Munster won their second title in 2008, they battled back to six semi-finals without taking the next step. It’s the lingering regret from my career.
It’s not getting any easier for the Irish provinces. Leinster had a great chance last season with Jordie Barrett and RG Synman in their squad, but they fell short at home to Northampton.
Toulon will see the same opportunity at the Aviva.
After 2018, Exeter and Saracens won the Champions Cup before the French takeover. La Rochelle and Toulouse looked equally unstoppable until Bordeaux-Bègles powered on to the scene.
Coming up short against Toulouse in back-to-back Top 14 finals has only poured fuel on the fire. They look determined to go back-to-back in Europe. A good Bath side under Johann van Graan with Finn Russell pulling the strings might be the best chance of denying them.
Dan Sheehan’s versatility could prove a valuable asset to Leinster as they pursue another Champions Cup. Photograph: Dan Clohessy/Inpho
Leinster have had the sort of season that forces them to focus on what is directly in front of them: Ulster in Ravenhill on Friday night.
Fair dues to Lansdowne prop Jerry Cahir, who has earned the respect of front-rowers everywhere after holding his own against La Rochelle and Sale last week as the number of injured Leinster looseheads rose to four. I hear Cahir is a good character. It’s also a smart move to bring Ed Byrne back from Cardiff until Andrew Porter is fit.
Barrett is gone and Snyman is injured, so Leinster are more reliant on home-grown leaders.
Nobody can say they are not thinking outside the box. If the secret to success is getting the most influential players on the field for the last 10 minutes of a European semi at home to Toulon, Rónan Kelleher replacing James Ryan last Saturday to allow Dan Sheehan switch to backrow is a tactic we are certain to see again.
Dan the flanker was in his element.