- Munster assistant coach Denis Leamy said it would be special for them to break their long-standing United Rugby Championship duck by winning Saturday’s final against the Stormers.
- Munster have won the tournament three times, but last did so in the 2010/11 season and have since lost three other finals.
- Leamy said they will take confidence from beating the Stormers in the regular season, but the final will be a different prospect.
Munster assistant coach Denis Leamy said it would be special for the club to get their hands on the United Rugby Championship as it’s a trophy that has eluded them for 12 years.
Munster last won the tournament in the 2010/11 season when it still had only 12 teams and have since finished as runners-up in the 2014/15, 2016/17 and 2020/21 editions.
Leamy came off the bench when the Three Red Kings beat Leinster 19-9 in Limerick, with Conor Murray most probably the only Munster survivor from that game.
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Leamy said while it was important for them to take in the occasion of the game, they also had the responsibility of ensuring their performance processes were in place.
“It would be special because it’s been a while. It’s been a number of years,” Leamy said.
“Firstly, it’s really great to be in a final of such a good competition like the URC. And, when you prepare for finals as a player and a coach, you can’t look too far ahead.
“To win will always be at the back of your mind, but it’s always about the performances and the processes that go with it.
“That’s something we’re focusing on.”
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Munster go into the game as the only European team to beat the Stormers in Cape Town in regular season games.
They won 26-24 on 15 April in what was a physically shrewd performance, before they drew with the Sharks in Durban the following week.
They went on to win their two away playoff games against Glasgow Warriors and Leinster, teams who had beaten them in the regular season.
Leamy said they will take confidence from their win in Cape Town last month, but also recognised that the final will be a totally different ball game.
“You take a bit of confidence from that. Absolutely,” Leamy said.
“They haven’t been beaten there in over two years and they’ve grown, but this is a new game with a blank canvass.
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“It’s the final of a competition, so, while we have the experience, the last time we were here, there were 29 000 fans.
“There’s going to be 55 000 in now and that’s a bit of a change already. Such games take on a life of their own and they’re very hard to predict … how the game will play out.
“You see the strength and the quality of the players up close, along with the size and strength of the forward pack, along with the ability of their players.
“We’re learning about each other but being here for a final is what dreams are made of.”
