Munster must find right fit in time of transition
The advent of the All-Ireland League in 1991 changed the face of the club game forever. There was widespread belief it would be dominated by the big four of Lansdowne and Wanderers in Leinster and Ballymena and Instonians up north. Instead, Munster teams, many of whom up to then had been denied even the opportunity of taking on the big guns in friendly games, were fired up at the thought of finally making a statement on the national stage.
First, Cork Constitution, then Garryowen, Shannon and Young Munster took control. That remained the situation for the next decade and a half, and even up to today, none of those four early favourites have won the title. What’s more, Wanderers have just been relegated out of the AIL altogether and Instonians demoted to Division 2B.
When the game went professional in the mid 1990s, the experience gained in many a tempestuous league game played a major part in the success enjoyed by Munster, culminating in their famous European triumphs in 2006 and 2008. For most of the time, too, they were ruling the roost against Leinster and attracting such a wide fan base that the old Thomond Park was no longer fit for purpose and was replaced by the gleaming new stadium catering comfortably for more than 26,000 spectators.
Even then, though, the realists accepted that this couldn’t go on forever while there were those who feared the diminution in the importance of the AIL and the advent of the academy system, ‘A’ interpros and the B&I Cup would work against the ongoing success of Munster at the highest European level.
The fact that many of the keyplayers were getting older and less influential went in tandem with this, while injury has afflicted the squad badly.
Munster still managed to fill Thomond Park for the two recent visits of Leinster and Ulster. Both games were lost, a telling factor no doubt in the many empty spaces evident at Musgrave Park on Saturday evening even though the Cork public has seen little of the side for much of the season so far.
All of this is in stark contrast to what has been happening at Leinster. From head coach Joe Schmidt down, they can’t do anything wrong. The manner in which they ran in eight tries in the 54-13 destruction of fellow Heineken Cup semi-finalists Edinburgh contrasted with the struggle Munster had to put up to eke out a five-point win over Glasgow.
The rugby Leinster are producing under Schmidt is of such a high quality that there are those who believe he should be appointed Ireland’s backs coach without delay. The position is vacant and the Kiwi clearly knows how to get the best out of Jonny Sexton, Eoin Reddan, Rob Kearney and lesser lights such as Ian Madigan, Eoin O’Malley, Fergus McFadden and so on.
Leinster look a good bet for a third Heineken Cup in four years even if they do face a really tough semi-final in Bordeaux against Clermont. As for the RaboDirect Pro12, few would bet against them replacing Munster as champions, while the AIL has suddenly become the preserve of Dublin clubs, with Old Belvedere winning 12 months ago and the title currently resting between St Mary’s College and Clontarf.
But these things come in cycles and Munster will return as a major force. It won’t happen overnight and that is why the imminent appointment of the right man as head coach is so crucial.
Speculation favours Anthony Foley with New Zealander Tana Umaga as assistant/backs coach. Those who ardently wish for a return to traditional Munster values combined with a modern approach believe Foley is the right fit. Few, though, are taken by the possibility of Umaga coming on board. They recall the part he played in the infamous spear tackle that ended Brian O’Driscoll’s Lions tour in 2005 while his CV as a coach falls well short of what is required to get Munster back competing with the big boys. It must be remembered they could manage only one line break against Ulster in last week’s Heineken Cup defeat by Ulster, a game they dominated territorially and in which they enjoyed 71% of the possession.
