Wednesday, January 14, 2009
SANDWICHED between a full Magners League festive programme and the onset of the Six Nations championship is two weekends of Heineken Cup pool action which will make or break the season for several clubs all over Europe.
For the international squad players from Munster and Leinster, it represents the key nine days of their season. The Six Nations championship offers an entirely different type of challenge with less preparation time and the added inconvenience of living out of a suitcase for seven weeks. For the present, however, the upcoming rounds of Heineken action ensure the stars of Munster and Leinster return to the bosom of their provinces with something tangible to play for at the business end of the season.
Last weekend’s Magners League games were instructive in setting the scene for what lies ahead this weekend. Munster’s first ever win at the Liberty Stadium over the Ospreys will help ease the disappointment of that embarrassing reversal against Ulster and also provide a quiet reassurance that when the heads are tuned in, Munster will deliver, even in the face of adversity of having to play with three different out halves on Friday night. When the need was greatest, the leading lights shone brightly, none more so than Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan, David Wallace and the returning Denis Leamy. Behind the scrum, Tomás O’Leary displayed the wide range of skills and rock-solid temperament that have earned him a starting place over the highly competitive Peter Stringer.
By finishing the game at out half, he has now played in every position across the backline in a competitive game for Munster; a remarkable achievement.
The most significant aspect of the contest was that Munster’s appetite for confrontation was back. With Sale Sharks registering a well-earned win over Guinness Premiership leaders London Irish, that’s just as well.
For a blueprint on how to beat Philippe Saint Andre’s charges, Munster need look no further than the approach they adopted on the visit to Edgeley Park for the second round game last October. On that day, Munster found the right balance between their running, kicking and carrying game to thoroughly outplay their hosts on their home patch. The sight of Sebastian Chabal leaving the field before the final whistle, again with a forlorn look, summed up the Sale challenge. Deep down I am not so sure the Sharks believe really they have the bite to subdue this Munster side.
That message must be reinforced in the opening 20 minutes of Friday night’s game. On too many occasions recently, visiting teams have come to Limerick expecting to be hit by a hurricane, both on and off the pitch, only to look at each other after the opening sequences and wonder what all the fuss was about. Three years ago, Sale took to the field in Thomond Park fearing hostility from all quarters. They were not disappointed. Chabal took the brunt of it that day and left a broken man. This time he will look to reestablish a battered ego.
In the words of Ronan O’Gara, Munster must once again "hammer the hammer".
The loss of Rua Tipoki continues to hurt Munster, yet he was also an absentee when they triumphed three months ago. On that occasion the midfield combination of Lifeimi Mafi and Keith Earls worked very well, with Paul Warwick’s kicking game contributing handsomely from full back. If Warwick overcomes the injury he sustained against the Ospreys, then I would prefer to see that combination reunited. Against the Exiles last week, Sale fielded a massive centre combination of Luke McAlister and Andy Tuilagi. While it would be hard on Barry Murphy, his combination with Mafi is lacking in the physical stakes for this particular battle.
In their first meeting this season, Saint-Andre gambled in selection by opting for England scrum half Richard Wigglesworth at No. 10 at the expense of Charlie Hodgson. It didn’t work.
It was only when he introduced Hodgson in the second half that Sale asked serious questions of Munster. I doubt if he will make the same mistake this time.
Much will depend on who emerges from the treatment room by Friday but on the assumption that both O’Gara and Warwick are fit and available, Munster will rise to the challenge once again on this occasion. Depending on the allocation of bonus points a Munster win could even secure qualification before the trip to Montauban next weekend even if Clermont Auvergne beat their French neighbours on Friday night. That’s a target worth fighting for.
WHILE Leinster embellished a fruitful Magners campaign in recent weeks with a third win in a row, their performance against Cardiff Blues reinforced the feeling that things are still not quite right before their crunch game against Wasps at Twickenham on Saturday. A win will guarantee Leinster qualification for the quarter final with the game against Edinburgh on Sunday week then providing a shoot out for a home draw. They have much to play for against a Wasps team of nowhere near the quality that won the Guinness Premiership last season. While they will be gunning for Leinster after the humiliating 41-11 loss at the RDS in October, it is questionable if they still possess the firepower to reverse that result. But Leinster need to be far more clinical in their execution.
The fact Wasps have switched the game to the wider expanses of English rugby HQ may suit Michael Cheika’s men even if Wasps have an excellent recent record there. However, Leinster’s backline need to rediscover their try-scoring touch. Despite the presence of quality broken field runners last Saturday, it must be a concern to Cheika that his side seldom challenged the visitors’ try line. Cheika must also bite the bullet and restore Felipe Contepomi at No. 10 as Isa Nacewa does not possess the game management skills to steer the side from the pivotal position.
This game will define Leinster’s season. While it is possible for them to lose and still qualify by defeating the Gunners next week, Leinster need to make a statement to convince themselves and everyone else after that disastrous performance in Castres.
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