Munster's Damian de Allende excited by Heineken Champions Cup debut

HOW excited are you by the prospect of playing Heineken Champions Cup rugby next weekend?

Damian de Allende: “Obviously, [I was] watching a lot of the [Heineken] European [Rugby Champions] Cup games back when I was at home, playing for the [DHL] Stormers last year.

“But, obviously, just watching the games, it’s very important to win all your games to get the best deal out of it.

"So, we know it’s only four pool games this year, but like previous years, we have to win all four games to get into the best position, and hopefully, we’ll get that right, and we just know that our job is to win the first – well, our job is to win the first four games and the rest will take care of itself after that.

“We know we don’t have to worry about any other results; we just have to worry about what we want to achieve.”

From your time at Munster, do you get the sense of the importance that this competition has with the province, historically?

DDA: “Yeah, definitely. A lot of the guys speak about it a lot; even the guys coming to the academy speak about it a lot, and I think that’s something that not just the old guys want to achieve – it’s the youngsters that also want to achieve it with Munster.

“There’s a lot of pride and passion; I can just feel it in their voice and the way they speak about the Heineken Cup, and the feelings they get when they speak about Munster and the past, and obviously, what Munster have achieved in the past, and they just want to get that right and achieve what those other guys have.

“I think everyone feels like there’s a big responsibility at the club, and they all want to achieve that goal.”

You mentioned you’d seen a couple of games last year. What’s your view from the outside, and is there an outsider’s view of what the Heineken Champions Cup competition is all about?

DDA: “I’ve watched more than a few games, not just one, but quite a few of them. When I watched the games, it was very close to international standard.

“It was very physical, and the games were quite fast and there’s obviously a lot less room for error, but it was incredible to watch those games live on TV.

“I’m just looking forward to the challenge, to experience it first-hand on the field, and it would be nice to experience it to a sold out Thomond Park but hopefully, we’ll get there soon.”

How much do you know about Harlequins and what are you expecting from them?

DDA: “Obviously, I’ve never played against them or anything, but obviously playing Super Rugby against guys like André Esterhuizen and Wilco Louw and [Martin] Landajo, I kind of understand what they’ll bring to the party.

"All three of them are very good players; they’ve all played international rugby already. André is very physical and so is Wilco, and Landajo has very good skill. So, they’re three very good players that have recently just got to the club.

“They’ll bring, I think, a lot of calmness to the changing room and obviously, looking at their squad, and seeing their big ball carriers and the big players, you obviously know it’s probably going to be a big set-piece battle, but we’re looking forward to that challenge.”

What are your expecting from your other pool rivals ASM Clermont Auvergne?

DDA: “They’ve had very good squads over the past few years, obviously [I’ve been] watching the Champions Cup and seeing them do well in the competition as well. Not just in the Champions Cup, but [in] the Top 14 as well. They’ve got a very good side as well."