For years, Tom Farrell was one of those players on the outside looking in, imagining what it might have been like to experience the Thomond Park factor on big ‘European’ nights.
Never did he really envisage being part of such occasions, which was one of the reasons why the former Connacht centre suspended all other negotiations with potential alternatives towards the end of last season once Munster came calling.
Farrell had his eyes and ears opened when among the Munster try scorers in his Champions Cup debut for the province, a 33-7 win over Stade Francais last December. But this Saturday’s rendezvous with old foes and three-time champions Saracens at Thomond Park, complete with a 5.30pm kick-off, feels even more like the real deal.
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“From the outside, to be honest it was a small bit of nearly envy or jealousy of people getting to play in a full Thomond Park. It’s a special place, especially when it’s packed out, European nights. The Stade game was my first game for Munster in Europe, and it was a cool experience, so hopefully now come Saturday we’ll have another big crowd and we can put a performance in.”
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Following their defeat away to Castres, Munster go into this game third in Pool 3 and three points behind Saracens, before facing Northampton, a further point ahead, in their final game on Saturday week at Franklin’s Gardens.
Always inclined to walk the tightrope of qualification in the six-game pool format, Farrell and Munster appreciate that the four-game stages allow even less elbow room.
“With the reduced games in the group stages nowadays, every point is massive for us. We’re aware of where we are in our group. We’re a couple of points off Sarries, so a win will put us into second place.”
Farrell has already proven a successful acquisition after his time at Connacht came to an end, although he maintained: “I wouldn’t say I was looking to prove a point necessarily, no, but I just knew that getting to join a club like Munster was a no-brainer. Once there was a sniff there, I put everything on hold. Any conversations I had abroad were put on hold pretty quickly and it was a very easy decision, to be honest.”
Even so, in what has at times been a trying season for Munster, one with ups as well as downs, one constant has undoubtedly been Farrell. Munster’s injury woes have been a silver lining for him in that he has started all 12 of their games this season, and played all but 11 minutes. His attacking game has flourished, scoring seven tries as well as a try assist, with 13 clean breaks and 7 defenders beaten.
“As a team we have a licence to go for things. The framework that we have which Prendy’s designed and with Mossy there as well, it allows players to express themselves and we create opportunities for ourselves. Some of our backs might get a lot of plaudits, but some of the work the forwards do up front creates massive space for us, and it does complement my game and it’s something that I am really enjoying.”
Farrell played for the Ireland Under-20s in the 2013 Junior World Cup and was called into the Irish squad at the outset of the 2019 Six Nations. The 31-year-old accepts that this ship may have sailed and has a sanguine realisation that Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose have largely closed Ireland’s midfield door.
“I’m fully aware of the personnel that are there. You have three potential British and Irish Lions there who have been in and around the team for the last five or 10 years.
“With what they’re doing and how good of players they are, obviously it’ll take something outstanding or something worldly to displace them at this stage in my career, but look, I wouldn’t rule it out. Never say never. You never know, another good two or three weeks under my belt, anything can happen.”
But most pressingly, and realistically, Munster are in must-win territory this Saturday (and ideally by denying Saracens a bonus point) if they are to entertain any hopes of a home tie in the Round of 16, where they have exited in the last two seasons.
“Definitely, yeah,” agrees Farrell. “We haven’t even looked any further ahead to be honest. We’ve only been talking Sarries the last 10 days or so. We’re fully aware of it.”
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