Magic moments come from belief – Van Graan
MUNSTER coach Johann van Graan hailed Andrew Conway for producing the moment of magic which sent the Reds into the Champions Cup semi-final after a dramatic victory at Thomond Park.
The game seemed to be slipping away from Munster when Conway somehow fielded a touch-finder from replacement Toulon out-half Francois Trinh-Duc to score an astonishing matchwinner from the left wing.
‘When he kicked it I thought it was going straight into touch, it was right in line with the coaches’ box, we saw their wing run past and it opened up.
‘And then all credit to Andrew, the last game he played here was against Castres (in January), all credit to the medical staff and Andrew for pulling through, to deliver a magic moment in the 77th minute.
‘He came back from injury and put in a performance like that. He started on the wing and finished at fullback, that’s what this team is about,’ said the head coach.
Van Graan said that sufficient self-belief can steer a side to overcome all odds after fashioning a victory that will sit comfortably with their great days in Europe.
Van Graan, who came to Munster in December to take over from South African compatriot Rassie Erasmus, said that they refused to allow their lengthy injury list impact on their preparation.
‘If you’ve got 23 guys who believe, a coaching and management staff who believe and a club that really believes, you can do the unthinkable and make dreams come true.
‘We plan for situations like this. It’s pretty easy to plan it, but pretty hard to execute it. I think gratitude is the main word, it’s a fantastic honour to coach a group like this.
‘If something’s going to be better it’s going to be something amazing because all the odds were stacked against us, I don’t think many people gave us a chance,’ he added.
And Van Graan said that he firmly believes that Munster can improve and he will be using their two weeks in South Africa to fashion a first Champions Cup final appearance in a decade.
‘I think we can still improve a lot, most definitely yes. I think we went to the air quite a bit and to be fair to them, they handled it really well. We really focused on our workrate.
‘The Munster way is to do it the difficult way, we conceded the try and went six down, we fought and we fought but our discipline pulled us through, one loose kick and unbelievable moment from Andrew (Conway) there.
‘But we knew if we conceded a penalty there it’s all over – our discipline was superb.’
Captain Peter O’Mahony, who produced a man-of-thematch performance on a day when they needed their experienced heads to stand and be counted, said that this is the sort of performance and occasion that every Munster player craves for.
‘It was a big day for the squad, a big day from the supporters, it’s an incredible atmosphere. Every time we come here it’s incredible and knock-out rugby makes it even more special. They showed up for us again today.
‘It means a huge amount to us. There is a huge bulk of this squad has come up since we are small, living around here. I know that makes it a bit more special I think.
‘Toulon have an incredible squad, it’s a great challenge for us and we love when we come out here. We love it.’
O’Mahony led from the front on a day when other experienced players such as Conor Murray, Billy Holland and CJ Stander delivered, but it was the displays from the untested Rory Scannell and Sammy Arnold in midfield which swung the balance in their favour against vaunted opponents.
‘I must say Sammy Arnold and Rory Scannell today, they were playing against household names Nonu and Bastareaud and I thought they were class.
‘I thought Billy Holland’s lineout defence work today, you get a few pats on the back but the work he does on the laptop is incredible and it paid off today for us. There were 23 fellas who put in a savage shift today.’
He said they did not panic when Toulon came with an early onslaught, with a slid defence restricting them to 6-0 despite all their dominance. ‘Look you stick to your plan. We gave away a couple of silly penalties and a team with momentumgivers like they have, it’s difficult to stop them.
‘We knew if we cut that out we’d give ourselves an opportunity which we did. We were a bit unfortunate certainly with the try but the boys stuck at it. And then Conway with an incredible finish, he’s world class,’ added O’Mahony.
He will now lead the squad on their two-match tour to South Africa when they will get the chance to prepare for either Clermont Auvergne or Racing 92 away from all the hype which will undoubtedly build around Munster from here.
Van Graan is new to these parts, but a familiar old story is unfolding in the south.