Donal Lenihan: The penny is yet to drop that Munster require more strings to their bow
Gavin Coombes scores Munster's winning try against Castres Olympique on Friday night. Given the way the game is progressing from an attacking perspective - Connacht, Leinster and Ulster all secured a four try bonus point in their respective outings last weekend - something has to change for Munster to end their trophy drought. Picutre: Manuel Blondeu/Sportsfile
It was very much a case of mixed emotions for the two Andys over the course of last weekend’s highly entertaining round of European action.
Perhaps the most significant factor, given the destruction caused in Round 2 due to Covid issues, was the fact that all 12 Heineken Champions Cup games actually took place thus providing some brilliantly competitive action for all four Irish provinces. Three weeks out from the start of the Six Nations, Andy Farrell will be thrilled with that.
As for the other Andy, Connacht’s excellent coach Friend, I can fully appreciate his sentiments when declaring that Saturday’s heartbreaking defeat to Leicester Tigers was the most gut-wrenching of his coaching career.
When you speak about a rollercoaster performance, enduring a home game against the current Gallagher Premiership leaders that sees you fall 10 points behind in as many minutes, recover to lead by 18 with half an hour left, before conceding a try in the very last play to lose by a point, offers the ultimate definition of such an emotionally charged afternoon.
Frustrating and all as the result was, the manner of the performance, the invention in attack orchestrated by the mercurial hands and feet of Jack Carty, is what endears Connacht to all neutrals and elicits such fervent support from the diehard westerners.
Connacht are deserving of every bit of support they get from the IRFU. Hopefully, the revamp of the Sportsground comes to fruition so even more can witness their exciting brand of rugby, in the modern surroundings demanded by followers of all codes in this day and age. Despite that crushing defeat Connacht remain in the fight and a win over Stade Francais in Paris next Sunday, by no means beyond the bounds of possibility, would see them advance to the knock-out phase in the Champions Cup for the first time.
Irish performance of the weekend goes to Ulster who, despite the absence of their two totems in captain Iain Henderson and Stuart McCluskey, bounced back from the defeat to Munster with an outstanding victory over Northampton in Franklins Gardens, a win that sees them qualified for the next phase with a game to go.
The most significant factor here was the display of an exciting breed of homegrown backs in Nathan Doak, Ethan McIlroy, Sean Moore, James Hume, Rob Baloucoune and Michael Lowry, all of whom excelled.
Like Connacht, Ulster are also developing their attack shape with the emphasis on keeping the ball alive in the tackle and stressing defences by using the full width of the field. The statistics confirm that approach with an impressive 31 defenders beaten, nine offloads, and 183 passes made.
Given the similarities with the way Ireland will seek to play in the Six Nations, Andy Farrell will be thrilled with the manner of Ulster’s win, the way they are going about their business and the quality of some individual performances.
It is hard to comprehend the complete absence of any defensive structure or intent from an appalling Montpellier side who travelled to Dublin with a callow backline and without any sense of pride in their level of performance. As a result, the incredible attacking stats attached to Leinster’s 13-try rout are rendered somewhat meaningless.
That said, for a team without a game in five weeks, the cohesion, ruthlessness and precision displayed marks them out as a special group. Given that the majority of their team will start against Wales in a few weeks, Farrell must have left the RDS not only with a sigh of relief but with a high degree of optimism for the challenges ahead on the international stage. The only downside was the sight of Tadhg Furlong leaving the field with a calf injury and James Ryan’s late absence.
As for the tournament, designed for the elite clubs in Europe, having a team currently lying fourth in the French Top 14 concede over a point a minute does nothing for the image of this once great competition. With so many of the French clubs fielding severely understrength sides, EPCR must do something to save the integrity of the tournament.
Buoyed by their courageous win over Ulster on the back of Simon Zebo’s sending off after only 15 minutes, Munster returned from France with a narrow three-point win, which also sees them through to the next phase with a game to spare. The target now is in securing a key home advantage for the next few rounds.
The character of the side came to the fore for the second week in a row with a last-gasp try — substitute Alex Kendellen’s effort against Ulster for a similar try from Gavin Coombes this time out — to secure victory at the death.
As always, with their backs against the wall, Munster rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in, an attribute that has been part and parcel of the DNA of the province long
before the advent of professionalism.
From a Munster perspective, courage is a given but more is needed to succeed at the business end of the tournament. Already qualified for the knock-out phase after a third consecutive win, some might be amused with all the “outside noise”, as Johann van Graan labelled the criticism surrounding aspects of Munster’s recent performances.
From a coaching perspective he is entitled to highlight the fact that, over the course of a season, Munster win far more games than they lose. However, he should know by now that the ‘Munster family’ which he is proud to count himself part of, is a bit more ambitious than that.
Winning silverware has always posed Munster a problem. After all between 1999 and 2005 there was nothing but pain and heartache, losing two quarter-finals, three semi-finals and two finals before finally delivering Heineken Cup success in 2006 and 2008.
Throughout those defeats the 'Munster family' never complained, always stood strong and proud behind the team because they could identify with the belligerent style and commitment being delivered on the field.
It represented everything the province stood for at the time.
The ‘Munster family’ recognise that while winning 80% of games will propel you to knock-out stages of the major tournaments, it’s what you do when you get there that has proven most frustrating.
The penny is yet to drop that Munster require more strings to their bow to succeed against the powerful packs that always make it to the business end of the season. We have seen no evidence to suggest that Munster’s approach has changed one iota since the dismal performance against Leinster in last season’s Guinness PRO14 final.
A realistic assessment of their three Champions Cup wins this season must take into account that Munster have yet to face a team that has featured its first-string side. The opening win over Wasps was achieved in bizarre circumstances with both clubs fielding vastly understrength combinations due to Covid issues.
The fact that a cohort of academy youngsters stood up to be counted and played with a freedom of expression that augured well for the future captured the imagination of everyone. In the games against Castres, for whatever reason, the French outfit chose to start a second-string side.
Munster won both games by a combined total of nine points with a single try registered in each.
Given the way the game is progressing from an attacking perspective — Connacht, Leinster and Ulster all secured a four-try bonus point in their respective outings last weekend — something has to change for Munster to end their trophy drought.
Change is on the way. Van Graan and Stephen Larkham are departing for pastures new at the end of this season and one hopes that a major review of the coaching and management structure is being undertaken at present. It is badly needed.
There’s a strong possibility Munster will appoint a director of rugby to head up the management team and, if so, Declan Kidney should be given first refusal at filling that role. Highly rated Racing 92 attack coach Mike Prendergast appears nailed on to join Graham Rowntree on the coaching ticket with the former Leicester Tigers prop the more likely of that pair to be installed as head coach if Munster end up going down the DOR route. If not an experienced head coach is required.
Now that defence coach JP Ferreira has confirmed his decision to move on with Van Graan, former Ireland U20 Grand Slam winning coach Noel McNamara, currently operating in the URC with the Stormers in Durban, will come into the frame to replace him. Of more immediate importance is Sunday’s clash against a rejuvenated Wasps side who travel to Thomond Park on the back of seismic wins over Leicester and Toulouse over the last two weekends. Take nothing for granted in this one.
