Donal Lenihan: Munster discover some positives in the midst of a pandemic
Ben Healy: One of a number of young guns making the step up with Munster in the PRO14
Make no mistake about it, Munster’s two-point win over Edinburgh on Saturday night was more satisfying, in so many ways, to the dramatic late heroics against Scarlets in Llanelli the previous weekend.
The escape to victory, for a second week in a row, will serve to accelerate the development of the younger players exposed to action in Parc Y Scarlets and Thomond Park faster than weeks of in house training with the senior pros.
Contributing to a victory, forged at the death on both occasions through a delightful cocktail of courage, patience and no mean skill, puts the squad in a good place and offers a little breathing space to all concerned before the first of their newly designed Monday Night Lights fixture against Cardiff Blues in Limerick on October 26.
Last week I wrote about the need for Munster to expose the emerging talent to more game time, preferably supported by a core of senior players.
When I saw that Alex McHenry was making his competitive debut outside the inexperienced half-back pairing of Craig Casey and Ben Healy, I wondered why that trio wasn’t supported with a seasoned campaigner.
The fallout from the positive Covid test registered by one of the Munster players meant all his close contacts had to be stood down in accordance with health guidelines. That ruled out a number of players meaning the rookies would have to navigate this one on their own. To win in such demanding circumstances was a major bonus.
Healy must be walking on water right now. Once again his temperament and capacity to perform under pressure shone through. A return of seven from eight off the kicking tee, including the winning conversion with two minutes left, is proof positive of that.
Surviving a few big hits, including one from Lions back-row hopeful Jamie Ritchie, offered further evidence that he is also ready to face the physical as well as mental challenges associated with directing traffic from out-half.
You have to be brave. Ronan O'Gara has written in the past of being chastised by Crusaders' charismatic head coach Scott Robertson for bemoaning the loss of several key players to injury before a massive Super Rugby clash against the Hurricanes. A pessimistic Irishman with a glass half empty mentality versus the ultra-positive New Zealander who always believes his players are better than everyone else.
Robinson carried no inhibitions and saw that game as the perfect opportunity for the next batch of young talents to prove their worth. For him, being good enough to break into the Crusaders' wider squad was proof those players were good enough in the first place. That is exactly what happened and they won handsomely against a star-studded Wellington outfit.
Sometimes a coach's hand needs to be forced to take that leap of faith which is exactly what happened in the Munster camp due to that positive Covid test. The team originally selected earlier in the week to play Edinburgh was significantly different to the one that eventually lined out on Saturday night.
Up front Munster were forced to field a front five with just two internationals against an all Scottish international pack. In the circumstances, they coped admirably.
When needed, CJ Stander provided inspirational leadership through the sheer quality of his performance. He has been Munster’s most consistent player since the return to action last August.
Having been relatively quiet against Scarlets, Casey looked far more like the underage star we had come to admire when forcing his personality on this contest.
He was buzzing and, having partnered Healy throughout much of his underage representative career, carried their clear understanding and comfort playing together to the next level.
Conor Murray, who played well when introduced off the bench for the final quarter, now knows how Tomas O'Leary, who was then the Irish Grand Slam No 9 at the time, and Peter Stringer felt when he burst onto the scene back in the 2010/11 season.
Over the last two weekends, Casey, Healy, McHenry, Matt Gallagher, Gavin Coombes, Roman Salanoa, John Hodnett and Neil Cronin have all contributed to character building wins against the odds.
In addition, Jack Crowley, who unfortunately didn't see any minutes against Edinburgh, was on the bench and will have learned something from being within touching distance of the action.
This pandemic has nothing to commend itself but, in a strange way, it may be serving to accelerate the exposure of the next generation of Munster players a little quicker than might have otherwise have been the case. Despite some dodgy moments in both games, opening wins against two of the better sides in the Guinness PRO14 by a collective margin of five points has generated positive energy within the squad at a challenging time. They must now build from this.
Despite the lack of Irish representation, the Heineken Champions Cup final retains a special place in the hearts of provincial rugby followers here.
There has been so many special days in the 25-year history of the tournament that allows us to look back with fond memories and appreciate what it must be like this week for the loyal fans of Exeter Chiefs and Racing 92 despite the fact that none will be able to attend this decider.
Racing have been down this road before, losing the 2016 and 2018 finals to Saracens and Leinster. Nobody would begrudge them lifting the trophy with the presence of Donnacha Ryan, Simon Zebo and Mike Prendergast on their roster encouraging Munster fans to get behind them.
That said anyone who’s been lucky enough to attend games at Sandy Park and spend time amongst their brilliant supporters would love to see Rob Baxter steer them to a historic victory.
They too have proud Irishmen in their squad in former Ulster duo Gareth Steenson and Ian Whitton.
Back in 2017, I watched Leinster record a comfortable 8-18 victory in Exeter which served to remind the home team they still had a journey to travel before conquering Europe. Lessons were learned and when Munster arrived 12 months later the visitors were fortunate to escape with a 10- 10 draw. The Chiefs had closed that gap considerably.
Their rise from the lower tier of English Championship rugby to potential European Cup winners has been carefully choreographed over the last decade.
One of the few premiership clubs to generate an annual profit, they provide the financial model for how a club firmly entrenched in their community should be run.
Their new stadium, constructed from scratch at a cost of £12m, opened for business in 2006. It is reminiscent in many ways to Thomond Park prior to its latest revamp with the fans hugging the touchline and making their presence felt without ever being boorish.
They even offer something different when it comes to providing food for the press. Instead of the usual pre-match grub served in the confines of the media room, a voucher is stapled onto your match programme, inviting you to choose from the many vendors offering food inside the ground.
Be it a burger, sandwich, a curry or a local Cornish pastie it enables you to mingle with the fans and get a feel for what they are about.
In my experience, they were brilliant, on and off the field, and if they complete the fairytale journey from the nether regions of English club rugby to European champions nobody will begrudge them.
This has all the ingredients to deliver a captivating decider and whoever emerges triumphant on the final whistle will prove a worthy new addition to the 11 clubs that currently dominate the Champions Cup roll of honour.
