‘We’ve given ourselves a chance’ – Craig Casey hails Munster resilience after ‘turbulent’ season
Munster scrum-half Craig Casey led the team to victory over the Lions.
Munster scrum-half Craig Casey hailed his team’s “resilience” as they booked a place in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals with a 24-17 win over the Lions.
Casey, who skippered the side on Saturday night at Thomond Park, played a key role in the province doing what was required as they moved back into the play-off spots.
Not only has the victory over the South African side booked their ticket to a URC quarter-final at the Bulls, it also sealed Investec Champions Cup rugby for next season.
Important win
Summing up the achievement, scrum-half Casey explained: “It means an awful lot. It has been a turbulent enough season for us, but we have stayed strong as a group.
“I think the love of the club shone through. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs through the week, a few people going out through injury and a few young fellas stepping in.
“I think it was important for us to send off a few legends in a good way. We would have done them an injustice if we didn’t show up.
“We are a resilient group. We have been through the ringer this year. We went through an awful lot, but stuck together and it shows in times like this.
“We haven’t been perfect this season, we’ve a lot to work on, but we’ve given ourselves a chance.”
He added: “We have been through a tough time. This is massive for us. Champions Cup rugby is paramount for this club. Damn it feels good.”
Casey picked up the Player of the Match award after leading by example with an inspirational try-scoring display as he relished being skipper in the pivotal showdown.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself this week,” he admitted. “It was my first time captaining at home, but I had a lot of support from the group. First and foremost, you’ve got to show up. I wasn’t perfect by any means, but I hope the fans saw how much it means to all of us.
“That’s what kind of shines through on days like this. The supporters mean an awful lot to us. We’ve given ourselves a chance and we’ve given them a chance.”
Addressing the fans, he said: “Keep following us, we love you all. We will keep fighting for all of you.”
Relief
Adding his thoughts, Munster head coach Clayton McMillan summed up the triumph with one word before praising his players for how they dealt with the pressure.
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“It’s probably relief more than anything,” he said. “Not just the blokes out on the field, but the 15,000 in the stands and lots in their homes. There was big pressure coming into a game like this where it’s pretty obvious what we needed to do. It was never going to be easy, but I thought our guys acquitted themselves well under the circumstances. We were tough when we needed to be.”
“I’m pleased for the players. We’ve been working hard to give ourselves an opportunity to get to finals rugby and that’s been achieved.”
READ MORE: United Rugby Championship quarter-finals: The fixtures, dates, kick-off times and how to watch