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And the 29-year-old reckons competition in the squad is driving the team forward.
"Having the competition is great," he told the Irish Independent.
"Everyone is kept on their toes, Marcus (Horan) played really well the other night and so did Stephen Archer on the tight-head side - he is a player with a lot of potential.
"But we have fought back from that and the younger fellahs have brought an extra belief with them, which has lifted the older guys also. They know exactly what it is about, coming into the system, they know what is required."
The former double Heineken Cup Champions are unbeaten in the tournament after the first two rounds of action as they look to put behind them last season's disappointment of failing to reach the knock-out stages.
It was the first time in 13 years that Munster failed to reach at least the quarter-finals and the pain of that failure is still fresh in the mind.
"There is a good feeling in the squad and an incredible determination to make up for last year," he added.
"Going out at the pool stages for the first time in 13 years was an unbelievable disappointment.
"I will never forget the feeling on the bus coming out of the Toulon stadium knowing we were out. It was horrible.
"We have tremendous supporters here, real loyal fans and thinking about them back at home and that sense you had let them down and it was definitely at the back of my mind going into this season.
"You have a duty to the Munster name, to your team-mates and to the supporters. It doesn't matter if you are 19, 29, 37 or whatever, when you pull on the red jersey, you are a Munster player and you have to put in a performance."
