Munster prop Stephen Archer admits the way in which his side was knocked out by the Sharks in the Champions Cup sparked a change in fortunes.
The Irish side lost 50-35 in Durban as the South Africans emphatically removed them from the European competition.
Since then, they have turned the tide by handing the Stormers their first defeat at home in 19 games right at the back end of the regular season before travelling to Durban again and leaving with a draw in the final round.
Good review paid off
Archer insisted the European loss was a reality check for the team and believed the Stormers result was a product of a big review and hard work.
“I think we had a good hard look at ourselves after the European loss to the Sharks,” he said.
“We knew we were going back out there to play the Stormers who are top class, so we had a good review, and had a lot of things to work on, and two weeks to do that.
“We had to pull up the sleeves, and it was massive going down there and getting that big win in Cape Town.”
Body feels fresh
A feature of the vital two-game South African tour was Archer playing 80 minutes two weeks in a row – an impressive feat for a 35-year-old.
The tighthead insists that he is feeling fresh, partially due to a mid-season injury, and is raring to go for the final stages of the season.
“The body is feeling good, and I’m feeling fresh,” he added.
“I missed a portion of the season in October, got an ankle injury and missed about three months, so I’ve been refreshed going into the second half of the season. I’m delighted.”
Munster fought hard through the quarter-finals against Glasgow with a 14-5 win taking them into a last-four meeting with Leinster.
The Glasgow clash was brutally physical, and Munster showed impressive steel to hold on in the opening quarter. Archer credited coaches Denis Leamy and Andi Kyriacou for the Fort Knox defence that proved decisive in the knockout clash.
“It was a massive turning point when we soaked up a lot of pressure in that first 20 minutes [v Glasgow], and then the first chance we got, piling it on when we got a score, was a big momentum shift in the game and we took great confidence from that,” he said.
“Leams [Denis Leamy] and Andi [Kyriacou] have done great work with us in the last few weeks since that Sharks match, and it’s really an area we focus on, our defence, we tightened up and it’s through the lads’ hard work. We’ll need to be on the top of our game on Saturday.”
Massive challenge against Leinster
Munster finished the season with some impressive away form which will be crucial for their prospects against a Leinster side that is in brilliant shape at the moment.
Whilst it is going to be a challenge, Archer believes Munster are “not a million miles off” their bitter rivals.
“We’ve gone to some tough places and won, which is great,” he added.
“It’s given us a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence, and we’ll need that this week going to the Aviva, where it’s the opposite to us; Leinster are comfortable. Every match I’ve seen of them in the last few weeks has been from the Aviva, home comforts for them. We’ll take teat confidence from our last few weeks.
“The two matches [v Leinster] were quite close this season, and I think we’ve come on a lot as a team since then. Leinster have too, but we have to take confidence that we’re not a million miles off. We know it’ll be a big test, and are looking forward to the challenge.”
