A night of mixed emotions for Munster's Stephen Archer

Life as a professional rugby player has served Stephen Archer well. In his earlier days, the powerfully-built 30 year-old tight head prop put his time in the colours of CBC and Cork Constitution to good use prior to his inevitable graduation to the big time with Munster and various Irish teams including a couple of appearances with the senior side.

A night of mixed emotions for Munster's Stephen Archer

By Charlie Mulqueen

Life as a professional rugby player has served Stephen Archer well. In his earlier days, the powerfully-built 30 year-old tight head prop put his time in the colours of CBC and Cork Constitution to good use prior to his inevitable graduation to the big time with Munster and various Irish teams including a couple of appearances with the senior side.

However, like the many players who quietly believe that a selector here or a coach there might have recognised his talents a little more, “Archie” is all out to prove that he still has plenty to offer.

He accepts the best way to make that point is to shine in the many important games looming over the next couple of months.

Trouble is, for a prop, it’s not as easy to make an impression as it is, say, for a high scoring winger. And yet he doesn’t necessarily agree.

“If we are playing Leinster and we perform better in the scrum that’s a fairly easy barometer to go by”, is his way of disputing that argument.

“But what I need to do now, I suppose, is first and foremost to start down here in Munster.

Obviously, John (Ryan, his rival for the no. 3 Munster jersey) is in Irish camp and I’m not so if I can get ahead of him and start the big matches, the European matches along with the big interpro matches, that would be a starting place for me.

Last year I would have got ahead of John for most of those matches but it’s the performances in those matches that count.

“Those European Cup matches against Exeter and the likes of Castres, that’s not far off international standard. Talking to the lads like Pete (O’Mahony), that’s as high as you go club-wise. If you can perform at that level you’re up to international level”.

Archer admits that he, like much of the nation, was on the edge of his seat watching Ireland defeat the All Blacks on Saturday.

“The pinnacle of rugby is international matches, and watching it, I was very envious of the lads but I was delighted for them all.

“It just shows how far Irish rugby has come. They really deserved that win 100%. Our scrum was impressive, New Zealand were a really good unit and they were under pressure all day. You know that anytime you can rely on your scrum, it’s such a crucial thing to go back to. You could see how confident Ireland were and for New Zealand, no scrum dominance meant they were under pressure”.

Naturally enough, he also admired this latest “blinder” by Tadhg Furlong, the man occupying the position he covets: “He’s flying it. He’s probably the best tight head in the world at the moment so if you’re playing against him and can better him, it shows that you’re not too far off that level either.”

Not getting the call-up for the November internationals from Joe Schmidt hurt Archer but he stresses: “Like everything, you get over that and it was good to get a good performance out in South Africa against the Cheetahs.

I suppose the break came at a bad time for me personally because I like to keep playing and I’m just looking forward to Sunday and cracking on again. It will be tough out there against Zebre. They’ve beaten Edinburgh and Cardiff (who beat Munster) so we won’t be taking them for granted.

“They have a good few of the Italian squad and it’s hard to read what kind of team they will have but I am sure Michael Bradley will have them well up for it and they’ll certainly be out to prove a point against us”.

He agrees that Jean Kleyn will be a big loss but insists there are “plenty of able deputies behind him like Billy Holland, Darren O’Shea and Fineen Wycherley so plenty of young players keen to get an opportunity. Looking at that Cheetahs match — both Daz (O’Shea) and Fineen went very well and I’m sure they will step up to the plate.”

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