MIKE HALES CUP IMPACT ON REDS
Munster Harlequins Sunday, 5.30pm
JOHN FALLON
IT’S a measure of the impact Mike Haley has made since he signed from Sale Sharks that he has been selected for all 14 Munster Champions Cup games in his two years at Thomond Park.
He’s an out and out fullback, all 44 Munster starts have been at No15, and with Shane Daly becoming the latest to be capped and Matt Gallagher arriving from Saracens – competition has never been tougher.
Haley said: “I think the competition has always been there. When I turned up there was Andrew Conway who was fighting for it, there was Darren Sweetnam who can play full- back as well, Shane’s been an unbelievable player for Munster every time he plays.
“You need that depth in the squad. That’s what drives the best teams to be the best and that needs to be on my mind, that if I don’t play well someone’s going to take my spot and that’s what makes you perform at your best.
“It’s very dog eat dog and the good thing is that there’s no animosity in the squad, everyone wants each other to do better because, in the end, everybody wants Munster to perform.”
The 26- year- old knows what the Champions Cup means to Munster and would have loved Thomond Park to have been full on Sunday for the visit of Harlequins, but he’s determined the Reds make their mark in the new- look competition.
He said: “I think it’s something that has just been built into the bones here, especially by the fans. The fans have made it this special and that’s been brought on by all the players. We understand it’s a responsibility of us.
“It’s 100 per cent driven by the fans and by an expectation of past glories at Munster, this is a competition we want to be the best at. When this week comes around you can just feel the intensity rises and the buzz rises.
“Unfortunately, the crowd won’t be there – but they’ll all be watching and there’ll be that same expectation and we feel that,” he added.