Munster parked URC title defence disappointment after semi-final loss says Reds star
"Did we go over the game? We didn't really dwell on it, to be honest"
Munster didn't dwell on the blow of losing their URC crown last season, says Fineen Wycherley.
The Reds had the chance to go back to back in the competition when they reached a home semi-final in mid-June but were well beaten by Glasgow at Thomond Park.
Wycherley says that Graham Rowntree and his coaches did the right thing by not undertaking a full-blown review with the squad as their season ended.
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Instead, the lessons were absorbed during the summer as the players returned to pre-season.
"Look, before we left we parked it," the second row recalled. "I think our last day the coaches managed it really well, naturally lads were hurting, it didn't go the way we wanted it to go so there was probably no point in having that conversation before going into the summer.
"I think without actually going into the game too much we took our learnings throughout the summer with catch-ups with coaches and then before coming back in here, having a plan on how we can implement those changes.
"Did we go over the game? We didn't really dwell on it, to be honest. The coaches really managed that well.
"If we have a bad loss or a disappointing loss, they don't dwell on it too long, it's onto the next thing and onto a new season, so we're just looking forward to getting going this season rather than looking back."
Wycherley doesn't want to look back on last season for personal reasons. A series of frustrating injuries left him with regrets, although he did make it back for that URC semi-final.
He started alongside Tadhg Beirne against Bayonne in the Champions Cup in December, but then the following week suffered a shoulder injury on a no-contact training day and missed the next European game in Exeter.
"It was just frustrating, it was just one of those that you do it a thousand times and nothing happens but I hurt my shoulder and that kept me out for eight weeks, a lot longer than I hoped," said the 26-year-old.
The forward from West Cork was then due to start against Connacht on New Year's Day but suffered another injury set-back and that sidelined him for a while longer.
Wycherley returned to the squad, made the bench for a few games and then injured the meniscus in his knee in the home game against Zebre. He required surgery and that was another few weeks out of action.
"It was nothing too major, nothing long like a six-monther or anything like that, but it was just at critical times of the season," he reflected.
"I was happy enough that I got back near the end of the season and got an opportunity in the semi-final and a few of the games leading up to it.
"So for me this season it's to stay injury-free and get back to playing week in, week out. I think the body naturally hardens up to it when you play week in, week out and I haven't had that consistency over the last two seasons, so that's the plan."
Munster lost their first pre-season game at Bath last weekend and will face Gloucester in Virgin Media Park on Friday night.
"Pre-season friendlies are always weird because you can't really imitate the amount of contact that you want in pre-season, naturally, because you don't want to lose bodies in training," said Wycherley.
"Getting a live hit out was very good, I thought we did a lot of good stuff, obviously a lot of work-ons as well, in the set piece and around our contact area, but in general for a first hit out it was pretty good."
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