Barnes warns of writing off Munster

BOOK LAUNCH:DON'T WRITE off Munster yet – that was the blunt warning from former Bath and England outhalf Stuart Barnes, who reckons the 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup winners have too much quality in key positions to be a spent force just yet.

Leinster’s trouncing of Munster in the Magners League on Saturday may have set alarm bells ringing for some in Limerick and Cork, but Barnes reckons it’s far too early to be writing any obituaries for one of the greatest teams to contest the Heineken Cup.

“It might be the end of an era but it’s too early to know. Last year Munster flattened Leinster twice, but certainly last Saturday Leinster outplayed Munster – they smashed them in collisions and because of that Munster went on the back foot and they found it very hard.”

Barnes, who admitted he shed a tear when commentating for Sky Sports when Munster finally won the Heineken Cup in 2006, was speaking in Cork at the launch of Rags to Riches – The Story of Munster Rugby by the Irish Examiner’s rugby correspondent, Barry Coughlan.

“Call it a wariness, if you like, I’ve seen Munster struggle before, but until I see them lose to Northampton and Perpignan I will never write them off because I have too much respect for them – if you win enough over a period of time you earn respect, and Munster have done that.”

Barnes, who traces his love for Munster rugby back to 1978 when he played as 16-year-old in Thomond Park just weeks before Munster beat the All-Blacks, reckons that several Leinster players, such as Cian Healy, will be making strong claims for Ireland places.

“Cian must play – Cian now is ready – he’s like a souped-up version of Marcus Horan. He’s a big, strong player, he carries even quicker – I’m a big fan. I think he’s going to be a special player in the years to come,” said Barnes, capped 10 times for England.

Barnes acknowledges that Leinster’s Jonathan Sexton had a fine game on Saturday which will put Ronan O’Gara under pressure for the Ireland number 10 jersey, but he reckons the Leinster tyro has some way to before he can claim the pivotal position in the Irish backline.

“Johnny played brilliantly in last year’s Heineken Cup semi-final when he came on, and I thought he had a great final and he was outstanding again on Saturday. But you’ve got to remember that O’Gara was playing on the back foot on Saturday.

“O’Gara is also the Grand Slam outhalf and while I don’t believe that you have to play your way out, Johnny still has to play a number of more games outstandingly well in big environments and Ronan has to play a number of games badly before it sways that way.”

The book, published by the Collins Press, traces the fortunes of the province from 1948, beginning with the recollections of Jim McCarthy, the first Munster man to captain Ireland.

Punctuated with interviews with Munster heroes such as Tom Kiernan, Noel Murphy, Moss Keane, Colm Tucker, Mick Galwey and Anthony Foley, the book charts the province’s clashes with New Zealand, Australia and South Africa right up to Heineken Cup glory of 2006 and 2008.