It was nearly three months ago, but Munster's one point win over Leinster is still very fresh in the minds of many of the players in Ireland's World Cup training camp.
For the Leinster lad it still stings, with Jack Crowley's last minute drop-goal still etched into their minds, as they remember a game that they somehow let slip from their grasp.
For the Munster men its was epic, and still is, and was made all the more sweeter by finishing the mission and downing the Stormers in the final.
One of the stars of Munster's campaign, Craig Casey, jokingly pointed out in yesterday's Ireland press conference that there has been 'a bit of gloating', and that Gavin Coombes even wanted to go a step further:
It has been good, gloating about it a bit. Coombes wanted to bring the URC champions hats in but we went against that!
Twelve years without it, as a Munster fan that was a long enough wait.
But then when you're in and you're playing and it has been a few years when you’ve got close enough but haven’t fired shots, we went down to South Africa confident we could win.
It was great to be involved in it and we definitely enjoyed it for the few days after.
Gavin Coombes And Munster Teammates Basking In URC Glory
2 October 2021; Munster players Gavin Coombes, left, and Craig Casey during the United Rugby Championship match between Munster and DHL Stormers at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
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Of course the inter-provincial banter is all in good spirits, and the camaradarie and tightness of this Ireland squad off the field squad has most certainly helped them on the field also.
If anything, Munster's URC victory was a good thing for the Irish team.
As Casey explains, it has helped with the Munster's players' attitudes and drive going into Ireland camp.
"I think it certainly lifted our spirits, that’s for sure," he said. "We've been to semi-finals and finals so many times over the years and lost, it can take a while to get over that.
"So you kind of feel the pain for the Leinster lads as well, what they went through. Just for us it gave us a little pep in our step coming in, we didn’t have our heads down like we have probably in the past. It was a nice feeling for us, for sure."
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