Van Graan: Returning players may suffer from 'mental block'
Munster coach Johann van Graan fears that the twelve players returning from the bitter disappointment of the squad’s World Cup flop may well suffer from “mental block” that will not be easily overcome as they head into a desperately demanding of thirteen successive matches in as many weeks.
“I was a member of the South African back room that lost by two points in the semi-finals of the World Cup four years ago and I know how much that hurt all concerned”, he said in Limerick today. “I don’t want to comment on how the players will be hurting after the disappointment of the loss to New Zealand but it can’t be easy for them. You just have to put these disappointments behind you. A week is a pretty long time in rugby.
“I know that everybody will be looking forward to getting back into what is such a very happy environment and it will help that we have new coaches coming in, Graham Rowntree (forward coach who was at the World Cup with Georgia) and of course Steve (Larkham) who arrived as backs coach some weeks ago.
“We haven’t seen these players for a few months and obviously we have moved on, new calls and so on, and that will take time in itself. Graham will be here next Monday and we wish we had more time to work on these things but that’s the beauty of professional sport”.
Van Graan will wait until the twelve players rejoin the squad next week - it is a near certainty that none will be considered for Friday night’s clash with the Ospreys at Musgrave Park in the Guinness Pro 14 - explaining: “We will assess each player on an individual basis as they come back, some have played several games at the World Cip and others only one. From a Munster point of view, we will take it day by day”.
