Joey Carbery’s display for Munster against Ulster highlights such days for him in red have been few and far between

His Ireland career had been abolished by Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree had no need for him in Cape Town. The Ireland coach’s loss of faith in the Athy native set in train a chain of events ending with Carbery moving to France this summer.

Before he moves to Bordeaux, he might just have a big role to play for the province who signed him to deliver days like the one they had against the Stormers. On Saturday, he was pressed into service early when Rory Scannell suffered an unlucky and awful ankle injury.

The Cork centre’s season is likely over, but the introduction of Carbery had a calming influence on a jittery Munster team and, as the game wore on, he grew and grew in stature.

The issue with Carbery’s career in red is that these days have been few and far between. Yet here he was, making commanding decisions in tandem with Jack Crowley, whose own calm deserted him on a rare off day.

Graham Rowntree said after the game that Antoine Frisch will be back for Friday’s quarter-final against Ospreys and he’ll likely come back into the team in the No 13 shirt, but there must be a temptation to pick Carbery at out-half and pair Crowley with the prospective France international in the midfield.

“Played well, didn’t he?” the coach said of Carbery. “He is about to be a father as well. He has a lot on his mind at the moment, Joey.

“We have always had that ability for Jack to move to 12 and for Joey to come on. We trained that in the week. I thought he brought composure tonight.”

It would be a big call to move the Ireland out-half out of his favoured position, but Rowntree and Munster must have a singular focus as they look to navigate their way through the knockouts.

They came into Saturday’s game knowing a win would guarantee them home advantage through the play-offs and, having lost their way in the second quarter, they pressed their bench into service and overpowered Ulster in the end.

Not only does it mean they won’t have to leave Thomond Park for as long as their season goes on, it also keeps them on what looks like the better side of the draw, with the Ospreys having squeezed into the top eight.

Win that and they’ll face the winners of Glasgow v Stormers, who meet next Saturday night.

A six-day turnaround isn’t ideal and Munster often find Friday night games a tough sell, but this team are nothing if not entertaining in the way they approach the game.

Their attack can sing, but they also make enough mistakes to let other teams have a sniff.

“We have some things to address there around our game, particularly individually. The guys know, they are an honest group. Guys know who have made those errors,” Rowntree said.

“This week is about getting ourselves right physically and mentally for play-off rugby. Friday night is not ideal, but we will roll with the punches. We don’t do things easy, as you have seen over the years, over this season.

“We are into play-off rugby now, dust ourselves down, pick a team middle of the week.”

Having taken their show on the road last year by winning knockouts in Glasgow, Dublin and Cape Town, Rowntree is delighted to have home comforts this time around.

“It is special. We are genuinely spoilt with our support, home and away” he said.

“We have spoken about it as a group, about being able to play here without getting ahead of ourselves.

“I spoke at the start of the week about the irrelevance of permutations around home semi, home final; it doesn’t matter, you have to win this game, you have to win this game against a team who are rejuvenated.

“No, it is a special place to play. Full stop. It is a cathedral of rugby, this.

“We don’t do things easy. We like a bit of jeopardy. The mentality is the next game, play-off rugby, anything can happen.

“Ospreys coming here; good team, well coached, nothing to lose.”

Having been 11th in January, they arrive at the business end in fine fettle and on a run of nine wins in a row.

“What can I say? I am immensely proud of how we finished the league as number one, given what we went through,” Rowntree said. “But, again, you don’t get a trophy for that.”