Duncan Casey: Earls and Murray criticism will sting but might spark necessary Munster reflection
It was a slap in the face for former players of Conor Murray and Keith Earls’s stature to be so vocally critical of the province. Pic: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile
A season rarely goes by without some sort of drama arriving at Munster’s door. Last year was arguably the most chaotic and challenging in the professional era, with a number of ups, downs, twists and turns that would make you more nauseous than the waltzers down in Tramore. It’s been over a decade since there was headline-grabbing controversy in preseason (when emailgate happened) but ahead of Clayton McMillan’s first campaign in charge, last week saw the focus shift to the contents of Conor Murray’s autobiography.
The criticism of Munster that appears in the book has been pored over in detail at this point, so I won’t go through it again. Suffice to say, he doesn’t hold back. While I obviously can’t comment on his personal relationships with Graham Rowntree and others, it’s difficult to argue with any of the general points he makes. There has undoubtedly been a short-sightedness and absence of long-term strategic thinking in various decisions that were made over the years and there’s no denying this has had an impact on the field.
As someone who spent eight years at the province, none of the book’s more ‘controversial’ takes were news to me. What is surprising is the departure from the norm this marks. This is the first time a newly-departed player has been so overtly critical of the province. That the player in question is one of the most celebrated in the history of Irish rugby makes it even more striking. To rub salt in the wound, Keith Earls – a player equally revered in Munster – rowed in behind his former teammate at the book’s official launch in Thomond Park.
Nobody enjoys being criticised but Munster are particularly averse to criticism. A siege mentality exists which has been used positively to fuel the fire on many occasions. It can be a great thing for a squad’s spirit to rally around one another against a perceived outside threat. The instinct to protect your family is a powerful and primitive one and in team sport, you do see your teammates as family. I remember various points where the spotlight was on us for the wrong reasons – the aforementioned email drama, Gerbrandt Grobler’s previous ban for doping violations, and so on.
The attitude was always, ‘Fuck them, they hate us, they want us to fail, let’s batten down the hatches and look after each other.’ You saw a bit of this in Leinster after they crashed out of the Champions Cup against Northampton in May. Almost every player interview for the remainder of the season referenced proving the media wrong, people wanting them to fail, and other common siege mentality tropes. How accurate this perception was is questionable but clearly, it did them no harm, as they finished the season with silverware and a record number of Lions tourists.
Problems can arise when that siege mentality becomes entrenched and is the default position. Opportunities for introspection and change can be missed when the focus is on being defensive and pushing back. Munster have probably been guilty of this at times and issues that could have been addressed – raised by those both inside and outside the organisation – were not. It’s a slap in the face for players of Murray and Earls’ stature to be so vocally critical. While I’m sure neither player is the most popular right now, it might spark some internal conversations that have not happened before.
McMillan probably wanted to let out a big sigh and roll his eyes when he was asked about the book by the media last week. The guy is only just in the door and is being asked to comment on something that has nothing to do with him. He replied that he’s not concerned about what has happened in the past. Nor should he be. This episode has, however, highlighted that his partner in this new relationship has some baggage that might take some work to shed. He will be under the spotlight and after the tumult of last season, will be expected to deliver results quickly.
What does the Kiwi’s first season look like? Munster have added 11 players to the senior roster but all bar two of these are either moving up from the academy or were already on loan last season. JJ Hanrahan and Dan Kelly are the only fully new additions, if you can still call JJ a new addition for a third time, of course. The big concern is the amount of experience that has left the building as we take our marks at the start of the game. Between Murray, Peter O’Mahony, Dave Kilcoyne, Stephen Archer and Rory Scannell, there are 1,100 Munster caps missing compared to last year.
That’s enough to leave a void in any team, regardless of strength in depth. On the other hand, there are some benefits to the departure of the squad elders coinciding with the arrival of a new coach. Any new boss arriving wants a clean slate and the departure of the aforementioned stalwarts draws a line in the sand that will see this responsibility placed on the shoulders of the players who will now get their opportunity to shine. Of course, we expect the likes of Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Jack O’Donoghue and Gavin Coombes to shoulder the bulk of the burden.
It will be more interesting to see who joins them and takes their opportunity to establish themselves as leaders within the playing group. While we didn’t have a long list of big-name signings arriving, there are plenty of players in the squad poised to make their mark this year. Many of them have a physical profile that hasn’t been easy to find in Munster over the last decade and could genuinely change the style of rugby Munster are able to play. After a horrendous run of luck and a lengthy spell on the sideline, Edwin Edogbo (122kg) appears ready to rock and deliver on the promise he has previously shown.
Ruadhan Quinn (113kg) and Brian Gleeson (116kg) can expect plenty of opportunities in the back row, while Tom Ahern (117kg) is likely to move into a key role after being restricted to 10 starts last season. I have high expectations of Ahern in particular and his ability to move seamlessly between second and back row will make him a crucial part of the equation not just for Munster but in time, for Ireland as well. Archer’s exit means there will be huge pressure on both Oli Jager and John Ryan to perform from the off and build on what was a solid season of scrummaging for Munster last year.
The same cannot be said about the lineout and that is one area that requires drastic improvement if the province is going to be competitive. Munster finished last season in the unenviable position of being tied with Zebre for the worst lineout in the competition. There was a hoodoo around it last year that they simply could not shake, regardless of what they seemed to try. This is something McMillan needs to shore up from round one. Opponents will mark Munster as a side with a lineout that can be targeted in the early games of the new campaign.
If they don’t square it off and put that perception to bed very quickly, it has the potential to seep in again and cause as much trouble as last year. Tadgh Beirne will be unavailable for a while yet, having been on Lions duty until August. This will give others a chance to put their stamp on the set piece and strengthen their case for selection as the season goes on. Ultimately, we saw last year how debilitating a bad lineout can be for the team as a whole, so it is arguably the most important thing to rectify in the coming weeks.
