Stephen Archer: This is my dream job with Munster, I’ll never get another one like it again
For most of the players, it’s a short spin from Munster’s high performance centre (HPC) at the University of Limerick (UL) to their homes, but for a couple of the more experienced heads, a longer drive to Cork beckons.
Since Munster moved to the one training base in 2016, the majority of the squad relocated to Limerick, but that wasn’t as straightforward for those with young families.
Stephen Archer is one such case in point. An arranged chat with Munster’s all-time appearance holder (282 games) is brought forward to ensure that he is on time for the school run back in Cork.
It’s a timely reminder of the sacrifices some players make because while they might be well paid for a job that they love, they often miss out on some of the more mundane tasks that others may take for granted.
With four young kids at home, Alex (10), Casey (nine), Heidi (four) and Elsie (three), finding the work/life balance isn’t always easy when you spend part of your week in Limerick.
“You’re kind of used to it now,” Archer says. “It used to be myself, Pete and Billy [Holland] and Duncan [Williams], now it’s myself and Pete and Joey [Carbery]. Joey’s in Kildare, we’re just across the way [in UL], it’s a grand spot, and Adam Sheehan, the S&C coach is there as well.
“The main body of the week is done Monday, Tuesday. So, you come up first thing Monday morning, say goodbye to the kids on Sunday night, then you’re back Tuesday evening. Monday and Tuesday are the main days, up and down Thursday for training, or captain’s run.
“Depending on the game, if you’re flying you might stay up Thursday evening but look, I’m lucky. We’ve a busy house at home, there are four kids and I’ve a very patient wife, Kelly. She’s very good and understanding of the whole situation and keeps it all going when I’m away.”
You can understand then, why Archer had to think about extending his career by six months until January when the idea was put to him by the Munster coaches, who still recognise the 36-year-old’s value as a tighthead.
Archer has been part of the Munster furniture since he made his debut in 2009, and while he had planned to call it a day at the end of this season, the lure of going again ultimately proved too strong to turn down.
“I suppose a lot of it is age-profile,” admits the two-times capped Ireland prop.
“I was humming and hawing about if I would finish up at the end of this season. I had a chat with the lads and they were keen to see if I’d go for another six months. In my own head, I’d always like to finish on my own terms and not being left out of the 23 and stuff, so my thinking would be to hopefully kick off next season with how we finish this season, play away the majority of the games and see what the story is in January.
“If I am still knocking around and playing, I might look to go again, but look, I’m 37 in January, so I am happy enough to call it quits then. We’ll see, you never know what’s around the corner. I’m enjoying it and thankfully the body has been good. I’ve got a good run of games in the last two months. I’m still able to cope with it, which is good. It’s been really enjoyable to be part of a winning team.”
The notion of walking away from the club he loves was made all the more difficult by the fact that Archer remains a key part of the squad, featuring 19 times this season, and with a chance to retain the URC, starting with tonight’s quarter-final against the Ospreys at Thomond Park, he thought better of hanging up the boots in the coming weeks.
“That’s it,” Archer says. “Knowing you can still perform at a high level against quality teams, it’s like, Jesus, it is tempting to go out at the height of it.
“But I just feel like I have a lot more to offer and a lot to contribute to the lads in what will hopefully be a successful end to the season and the beginning of next season.
“Munster were keen to make it happen and it just made sense from every point of view.”
With a degree in food business in his back pocket, Archer has begun to think about life after rugby, but he is not finished just yet.
“This is a dream job and you’re kinda looking around thinking, I’ll never get a job like this again,” he smiles.
“I was obviously a massive Munster supporter when I was younger. I had a couple of opportunities over the years to leave but I never really took them seriously. I always wanted to stay with Munster. A couple of years ago then I was like, Jesus, you get 200 caps, you look at 250, and then you look at beating Donncha’s [O’Callaghan] record [263].
“They are small personal goals, but they are not things I massively set out for at the start of the season, but look, I’ll chase the 300. That would be a goal of mine. I am very proud of it. But the main focus for me really is the next three weeks and hopefully retaining our URC crown.”
