A ringing endorsement of Joey Carbery’s talents
Peter O’Mahony believes Joey Carbery’s talent and rapid adjustment to life at Munster is helping the young Ireland fly-half quickly get on the same page as his new team-mates.
Carbery, 22, starting just his third Champions Cup game at fly-half and a first since he wore the Leinster number 10 jersey against Northampton Saints in December 2016, guided Munster to two valuable points on the road at Exeter Chiefs in Saturday’s 10-10 draw at Sandy Park.
Carbery certainly impressed his captain, who believes he can only get better with more time in the fly-half berth.
“You see what you get. He is obviously a gifted footballer,” O’Mahony said. “He has a real calm way of going about his job. He is an attacking threat. He has a great passing technique.
“When you get that in a 22-year-old kid, it has the potential to grow into a very experienced out-half. He has played very little rugby there but you can see with the run of games he is getting that he is settling in. He is getting comfortable with our gameplan.”
O’Mahony added that Carbery was quickly getting on the same wavelength as his team-mates following his summer move from Leinster.
“It is great to look around and you almost know what you are going to call together. There is a good bond there between the lineout callers and the game management group and that is what you need in that dynamic. You need guys that know what one another are thinking and he is on the right page.”
Carbery endured a nervous last minute against the Chiefs after his tactical and potentially pressure-relieving kick upfield caught the stiff breeze at his back and ran dead, bringing play back to the Munster 22 and giving Exeter an attacking scrum with the game on a knife-edge at 10-10 with 16 seconds left on the clock. Head coach Johann van Graan was as happy as his playmaker that Munster survived the late onslaught.
“For a 22-year-old fly-half, he was brilliant,” van Graan said. “We had a chat before the game and he said it was incredible the amount of games he is getting as a 10 now. He gave a great 80-minute performance.
“He said his heart fell right down to his stomach with that last play. It was 100% the right decision, but the wind just took it. He was then hoping it would bounce and hit the post, but it just kept going and going.
“He played very well and he managed the game brilliantly. I don’t think anyone who wasn’t down there on the pitch would realise just how hard it was to manage a game in those conditions.
“Our half-back pairing did really well. I think we should also give a special mention to Mike Haley. He hasn’t played that much in a few weeks and to put in a full-back performance like that, in this wind, was very good.”
South African former Springbok assistant coach van Graan added: “He is up there with some of the very best 10s I worked with in South Africa. Eric Hougaard, when he was 18. Morne Steyn, Johann Goosen. Joey is going to be a massive player for us in the future. To emphasise, it is not about Joey Carbery for him. It is all about the team and our performance today. We are glad to have him.”
