Rising tide that could lift Ireland’s boat
On the eve of a World Cup, it’s an added bonus this season that Ulster have also got their act together, evidenced by reaching the Heineken Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 12 years — not to mention the fact they lie second in the Magners League. Connacht too have made steady progress in Eric Elwood’s first season at the helm and already look to be building a decent squad for next season.
However, Munster and Leinster, provide the real barometer and they’ve been good for each other in recent times. Despite that win for Munster in Thomond Park in their most recent meeting, there is no doubt that Leinster are the stronger and more rounded side at present. That in itself is no bad reflection on Munster as I firmly believe Leinster are currently Europe’s most complete side, a status that could receive official confirmation by lifting the European Cup next month. What a boost that would be with the preparations for the RWC starting to click into place very soon.
Should Munster manage to lift the Amlin Challenge Cup at the first time of asking on the same weekend in Cardiff then Declan Kidney and his management team couldn’t ask for a better pre-tournament lift — and we haven’t even mentioned the prospect of likely Irish success in the Magners League.
When it comes to cherry-picking the best of what the Irish provinces have to offer, The Irish set-up could learn much from the way Leinster compete in the breakdown and especially in the tackle area. It was very noticeable how the Leinster players backed themselves in defence against Leicester, even yards from their own goal line, but crucially it was their ability to read the tackle situation that was most impressive.
This was the area that hurt Ireland greatly in the opening games of the Six Nations when they were constantly penalised for not releasing the tackled player or for competing for possession on the deck when the ruck had been formed. Leinster got that balance just right on Saturday which allowed them to stifle the Tigers in attack. As a collective, Ireland must incorporate what Leinster have achieved in this area.
While Mike Ross has generated some well deserved credit for the impact he has had on both the Leinster and Irish scrum, one should not overlook the improved scrummaging contribution of Cian Healy. He has displayed real maturity in recent times. He has recovered from a difficult day against Martin Castrogiovanni last February in the Stadio Flaminio to the point where he is competing impressively against all opposition at present.
THE real measure of progress for the Leinster scrum will be tested to the full by Toulouse in the semi-final, regardless of what front row combination (Daan Human, Census Johnson, Benoit Lacouls and Jean Baptiste Poux) Guy Noves decides to throw at them in the Aviva Stadium. While there will be much focus on the mercurial running skills of a whole host of seasoned and proven international stars behind the scrum, it is the unsung heroes of the front row that could well decide the contest.
Leinster also have a decision to make in the back row. Sean O’Brien has been outstanding for club and country all season but I think his effectiveness is curtailed somewhat when he is handed the No 7 jersey. O’Brien is primarily a ball carrier and not a forager or a link player. His innate footballing brain allows him to be in the right place at the right time as he was there to save a certain try for Leicester by Alesana Tuilagi. But a bit like David Wallace in his early days, there is a lot to be learned if he is to transfer to the open side on a permanent basis.
While there is every possibility that he could make as successful a transition to that role as Wallace did over the years, there is a price to be paid in the short term. Kevin McLaughlin had a fine game on Saturday but it will be very interesting to watch which way Joe Schmidt will lean when Shane Jennings recovers from his injury. Not a bad problem to have. Wherever he decides to select O’Brien, you can be sure he will give everything he has to the cause.
Speaking of problems, it would be wrong to gloss over the issues Munster had in the set piece in that amazing game in the blistering heat in Brive. After making steady progress in the scrum in recent months, the French arrived just in the nick of time to remind all and sundry that Munster — and by extension, Ireland — are still open to scrutiny in this area.
The issues surrounding Munster’s scrum cost them dearly in the Heineken Cup against the Ospreys and resurrected themselves once again against Brive, for whom unheralded loose head Davit Kinchagishvili created all kinds of problems for Munster. The Georgians seem to have truckloads of diminutive — but disruptive — props tailor-made for the French game. It was also a little disconcerting to see Tony Buckley’s replacement for Munster next season, Ulster’s BJ Botha get a hard time of things against Northampton’s Saone Tongauiha on Sunday. To be fair to Botha, he started very well and had the measure of the big Tongan. However he has been out injured for some time and is lacking match fitness at present. The fact that Tom Court was getting a roasting from another Springbok Brian Mujati on the loose head side didn’t help matters either for Botha. I think he will prove a good acquisition and once he has regained full match fitness he will be fine.
While Kidney will be pleased with the scrummaging performance of Ross and Healy, Ireland still have concerns in this area. More encouragingly perhaps, Marcus Horan did well on his introduction on Saturday and if he can generate sufficient game time over the coming weeks, he must come back into the reckoning for the World Cup squad.
Munster’s lineout also suffered a bit, but this was a weird game. To emphasise the point, Munster had only one lineout in the second half and that was taken quickly by Felix Jones, meaning that they had no setlineout to work off for the entire 40 minutes.
With the season finale fast approaching, it promises to be a big few weeks for Munster and Leinster, especially with everything to play for. The prospect of sharing centre stage in Cardiff within a 24-hour period at the end of May is enough to keep the adrenalin racing, even if Munster have been consigned to the role of bridesmaid.
* Congratulations to Crosshaven on their magnificent achievement in winning the Irish Junior Cup over the weekend. Rugby in the seaside town is thriving, with some very good talent emerging.
It was great to see all their hard work over the last few years rewarded.
