Marcus Horan insists Irish rugby is not on the wane after Munster and Leinster's Heineken Cup semi-final defeats.
Munster prop defends Irish rugby after Heineken cup defeats
Marcus Horan insists Irish rugby is not on the wane after Munster and Leinster's Heineken Cup semi-final defeats at the weekend.
Leinster lost to Toulouse and Munster to Biarritz to mean there will be no Irish representation in the Heineken Cup final for the first time in three years.
These defeats come two months after the national team surrendered their Grand Slam to France, but Ireland and Munster prop Horan believes it is wrong to read too much into the weekend's losses.
He said: "What can you read into these results when the draws were so tough with both Munster and Leinster coming to France?
"We both acquitted ourselves really well and both teams can be very proud of what they did.
Tough test
"It was always going to be a tough test for us. After a quarter-final at home we knew we'd have to go to France twice and win both times if we were to win the competition.
"That would be a huge test for any team but to say that it means Irish rugby is on the way down is unfair."
The Munster prop also firmly believes the 2006 and 2008 champions will bounce back from their disappointment of losing 18-7 to Biarritz.
He added: "We've been written off before and it drives us. It's amazing how one game can turn things around.
"There's a lot of fight left in the guys and these kind of defeats can only make the fellas stronger.
"This has happened to us before. We've had 10 years of it but still came back so I can't see why we can't come back from it again."
Ageing questions
The 32-year-old also hit out at suggestions that the Munster side are a fading force as too many of their players are the wrong side of 30.
He said: "Well, we are ageing. We're all getting older but a lot of us are playing some great rugby at the moment.
"There's still great drive. There's a great mix of young players as well. It's always important to have a mix like that.
"No matter what team you are, as the years go on people will always say that you're getting too old. It's an excuse that people will use.
"But the drive is definitely there. Guys are keen and it still means so much to them."
