David Corkery: Munster host Glouchester in Páirc Uí Chaoimh needing to prove they belong among rugby elite

History beckons once more, but Munster must start thinking long-term with a view to making them great again and stop looking at one-off days of glory.

I, like so many others, have watched and waited patiently for the once-feared province to hit the heights that made them one of the most famous club sides on the planet, but not since 2008 have we had the pleasure of watching them mix it with the big boys of Europe and emerge victorious.

There was once a time when the thought of playing Munster in Thomond Park was right up there with the phobia of doing a bungee jump with an iron chain wrapped around your ankles, but now it’s viewed as a novelty by visiting teams who seem to wallow in the hollowness that today fills its seats and terraces.

When was the last time we truly heard the 16th man roar in appreciation or snarl at the opposition as they crumbled in front of their very eyes?

Like an old Morris Minor that hasn’t had its engine turned over for a very long time, Munster have offered us splutters of hope and anticipation that have all ended with disappointment and anguish.

We’ve had players who have come and gone that were deemed as messiahs that could lead us to the promised land and we’ve had coaching tickets that were portrayed with pedigrees that would make Alex Ferguson and Rassie Erasmus look like they just completed their level one intermediate coaching courses.

The Munster club game that once supplied the red jersey with greats such as Anthony Foley, Mick Galway, Anthony Horgan, Peter Clohessy, Ronan O’Gara, Paul O’Connell, John Hayes, Keith Wood, David Wallace, and Peter Stringer, to name but a tiny few, is now only a shadow of what it once was. And nobody seems to really care. 

Never in a million years did I think that I’d see the former Limerick powerhouses of Shannon and Garryowen occupy positions in the lower levels of the All-Ireland League. Or here in Cork, with Sunday’s Well demoted to the junior ranks and Dolphin and Midleton not that far behind them.

PATTERN

Cork Con are still fighting strong. However, if you look at the AIL Division 1 table, what you will see is four Leinster sides occupying the top four spots and this just doesn’t happen by chance.

Just as Con, Shannon, Garryowen, and Young Munster did when Munster were worthy challengers in Europe, Leinster now use their clubs as breeding grounds for the next wave of players.

The overseas players that once arrived at the gates of Thomond Park with their boots in hand are also not of the same pedigree. 

I say this with no disrespect to the ones who are here today. When was the last time we saw players such as Doug Howlett, Jason Holland, Trever Halstead, Rua Tipoki, or John Langford take to the field with the Munster jersey welded onto their bodies as if they were born in it?

And please don’t talk to me about the RG Snyman farce. If there was ever a two-finger salute directed at Munster by the so-called blazers, his departure for Leinster was it.

Last weekend, Samoan Michael Alaalatoa (34), who was released by Leinster last year and deemed surplus to requirements by French club Clermont Auvergne this season, made his debut for Munster. Meanwhile, Leinster were busy baptising the 28-year-old and current All Black, Rieko Ioane.

Last year, they pulled Jordie Barrett from their hat of tricks and God only knows who will arrive next year.

Am I jealous of Leinster? You bet your life I am, but I also admire them because they got an opportunity many years ago and they took it with both hands and built on it, unlike Munster.

This Saturday, Munster will welcome English side Gloucester to the hallowed grounds of SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Last week, they beat French Top 14 side Castres and ran out convincing winners by scoring four tries.

Hopefully, Jack Crowley, Jean Kleyn, and Michael Milne will all be available for selection after missing last week’s humbling loss to Bath.

NOVELTY

Due to footfall and gate receipts falling drastically in Thomond Park, Munster have opted to bring this game to Cork and the novelty factor seems to have grabbed the attention of the sporting mad county as the game is now a sell-out.

In years of old, when the GAA was the only mechanism in Ireland that could even come close to diverting the following that the Catholic Church commanded, the sight of a rugby ball bouncing on the hallowed turf of Páirc Uí Chaoimh would be viewed as complete blasphemy.

Thankfully, those days are now no more and Munster should really win this game without even shifting beyond third gear.

My hope for this tie is that Munster will use the hurt and pain of the last two weeks and use it to send this Gloucester side packing with nothing but bad thoughts of their visit to the Rebel County, because if they don’t, Munster’s 2025-26 European journey will be as good as dead in the water.

Using a loss as motivation might be viewed as old-school, but this, together with a good kick in the ass, is maybe what Munster needs.

Both on and off the field!