Donal Lenihan: Munster and Leinster tyros provide food for thought
MY BALL: Keith Earls of Munster in action against Danny Care of Harlequins. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
It may have sneaked up, but the opening round of this season’s reconfigured Heineken Champions Cup proved fascinating in so many ways.
Such was the quality on offer across a range of cracking encounters, it put paid to the notion that, after a series of less than captivating Autumn Nations Cup internationals, rugby has become decidedly dull and boring at present.
It also served a bit of a reality check for the Irish provinces after an unprecedented run of 26 wins from the 28 Guinness PRO14 matches played to date with a 50% return from the four pool games played over the weekend.
It’s not often Thomond Park is silenced on Heineken Champions Cup days and it took a global pandemic to do so. Munster went into yesterday's game against Harlequins fully cognisant of the need for a greater degree of accuracy against better opposition than they have faced of late. That took time.
Playing against the elements, in challenging conditions, Munster showed glimpses of the off-loading game they have been working on throughout the lockdown. There was plenty evidence to suggest that more of the forwards are beginning to look comfortable handling and passing in broken field and making good decisions under pressure.
One forward always comfortable on the ball is Tadhg Beirne and he continued his excellent recent form with Ireland with another superb display, showcasing his vast range of passing and handling skills with an audacious 70 metre spiral kick also thrown in for good measure.
Munster only look to put more width on the ball in the opposition half which proved more difficult in the opening period playing against the strong wind. Harlequins settled well, encouraged no doubt by the empty stands which removes a vital element of what Munster bring to match days in Europe. That coupled with an early scrum penalty lifted the mood of the visitors appreciably.
Indeed Munster could be deemed fortunate to lead 6-0 at the break given that Harlequins had a try disallowed due to a forward pass, in addition to their highly-rated out half Marcus Smith missing two kickable penalties.
While Munster were understandably short of their best, with five internationals being reintroduced to the starting side after a two-month absence, the visitors were so indisciplined they played right into Munster’s hands.
While they could afford two yellows and a red card away to Gloucester last weekend and still win, they had no chance of surviving a trip to Limerick when the entire back row of Will Evans, James Chisholm and Alex Dumbrandt all received yellow cards. It was madness.
That coupled with the concession of 15 penalties made life so much easier for the hosts.
In the circumstances, Munster will be a little disappointed with their failure to bag a bonus point which could prove costly in this new truncated format given that five teams in Munster’s side of the pool draw managed just that over the weekend.
In addition to the win, Johann van Graan will be thrilled with the form of Ben Healy who looked completely at home at this level despite shipping two massive hits which resulted in one of those cards for Dumbrandt.
Surely the time has come for him to be trusted with a starting position, even if Munster face a daunting trip to Clermont Auvergne next Saturday.
Introduced with 20 minutes to go for JJ Hanrahan, Healy was joined five minutes later by his underage half-back partner in crime Craig Casey who always seems capable of lifting the tempo of games when sprung from the bench. The more exposure they get the better.
Gavin Coombes also marked his European debut with another polished performance which included a seventh try in eight games this season and is getting better with every outing. While Fineen Wycherley has sampled European rugby before his younger brother Josh did so for the first time and made his presence felt from a scrummaging perspective which is also highly encouraging.
With James Cronin playing out of his skin in the absence of Dave Kilcoyne and Jeremy Loughman, that is the level of depth Munster will need if they want to live with the best in the knockout phase.
When one considers the strong challenge the French clubs brought to the opening round of Champions Cup action - seven wins from eight clashes - Leinster produced the performance of the weekend from an Irish perspective with a very impressive win on the road in Montpellier.
That said, Connacht deserve immense credit for emerging from La Defence Arena in Paris with a losing bonus point against one of the tournament favourites Racing 92 as did Ulster, albeit at home in Ravenhill, against another superb French side Toulouse.
As for Leinster, it’s clear the quarter final defeat to Saracens in Dublin last September stung Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster badly. No longer competing in Europe this season due to salary cap breaches, Leinster may not be able to avenge the defeats of 2019 and 2020 to Owen Farrell’s men but look determined to regain their crown.
That desire was evident right from the outset when a third choice front row of Peter Dooley, James Tracy and Michael Bent, packing down against the monstrous Montpellier front five, won a decisive scrum penalty that not only set a marker for the rest of the game but led directly to a try From Josh van der Flier after five minutes.
That moment set Leinster on their way with the outcome already decided. Not for the first time, Cullen showed considerable faith in a cohort of young players who have more than kept the show on the road domestically when the big guns were away on national duty.
They delivered to such a degree that when the ridiculously talented bench cavalry - including five players who featured in the Autumn Nations Cup, a sixth in Dan Leavy who secured the crucial bonus point try plus an international in waiting in Ryan Baird, were eventually called upon - the win was already in the bag.
A word too for out-half Ross Byrne who performed exceptionally well after a difficult and challenging campaign with Ireland over the last two months. For whatever reason, Byrne always appears far more comfortable and composed in the blue of his province than in national colours.
With his younger brother Harry, who replaced him to make his European debut on 62 minutes, also breathing down his neck in the race to shadow Johnny Sexton for club and country, Ross must have been feeling the heat coming into this one. If that was the case then his pinpoint cross-field kick pass, which yielded a super for Dave Kearney in the opening half, helped ease the heart rate.
A bonus-point win, on the road in France, represents the best possible start for Leinster. The message is clear to all. They want their European crown back.
