Munster Rugby's Craig Casey: "It doesn't end here now. This isn't our Champions Cup final"

MUNSTER Rugby scrum-half Craig Casey, one of his side's try scorers in their win over La Rochelle, described Saturday's nail-biting Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 victory over La Rochelle as ‘absolutely surreal’. Munster stunned Ronan O'Gara's Top 14 side 25-24 at the Stade Marcel Deflandre to set up a glamour quarter-final meeting with Union Bordeaux Bègles at Stade Chaban Delmas this Saturday, 3pm Irish time, live on Premier Sports. Scrum-half Casey scored a crucial first half try for Munster who were recording theirr first Champions Cup knock-out stage victory in France for 23 years.

Afterwards Casey told Premier Sports: : “It's surreal. Growing up, you're watching Munster in Europe on special days and you see all the fans travelling over, you want to be part of days like that. “Today was one of those days.



It will go down in history in Munster folklore. “It doesn't end here now. This isn't our Champions Cup final, we want to go further.

It's all about next week, we'll recover. But what a day. We can't thank the travelling fans enough.

Like I said, absolutely surreal. Savage stuff.” Tries from Casey, Gavin Coombes and Andrew Smith, in addition to 10 points from the boot of Jack Crowley, including a crucial second half drop goal, set Munster on their way to a famous European win on the road.

Reflecting on his try, which was created by a terrific break from the fit-again Thaakir Abrahams, Casey said: “It was something we talked about during the week ‘cos he is so dangerous. I was saying if you get counter attack I will stay upfield and I will be on your inside, just scouting how he plays. “I was running in quicksand near the end.

I was looking around,” Casey said. “I was going, 'oh my God, if I get caught here, so embarrassing!' But a special try “The celebration was for Shane Daly, before anyone asks. He's one of the injured crew.

He dared me to do it if we scored so nice one for him.” Casey was fulsome in his praise for the support they had received from Munster's legions of fans. “They are the best fans in the world in good or bad.

You get a real sense of that living around Limerick, I think, the amount of Munster jerseys you see and the support you always get when times are tough," Casey said. “Really felt it during my injury, everyone behind you and a bit of payback for them today. “It is special for me, I had my parents over and they have enjoyed the two days in La Rochelle.

“It is a great day for them and all the Munster fans. “This is the game I had earmarked to try and get back for from my injury. To get back last week and play a very hard game against Connacht, it was probably a bonus.

Credit to all the hard work the people put into me. I couldn't thank Evan Fitzgerald enough, the physio in Munster." Should Munster overcome Bordeaux in their quarter-final next weekend, they will face either RC Toulon or Stade Toulousain in the semi-finals of the Investec Champions Cup on the weekend of May 2-4.

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