DONAL LENIHAN: Munster missed a trick with Nonu
All of a sudden, that win has thrown down the gauntlet to pool rivals Leicester Tigers, who now face the enviable task of having to replicate that result when they travel to the south of France in December. After a slow start to the Rabo, Ulster have rediscovered their form at a crucial time with back-to-back wins over sides of real quality in the Tigers and Montpellier. With a double-header against Treviso next up, they should be in pole position for the Christmas break.
Not that Treviso will be a soft touch. Always sticky opponents at the Stadio Monigo, their away form has also improved and it was only in the 79th minute that Leicester, in the hallowed surrounds of Welford Road, managed to cross the line for their four try bonus point.
Treviso may be out of the tournament already as one of four sides without a win but they are in good company, with Conor O’Shea’s Harlequins, perennial Welsh Heineken Cup underachievers Ospreys and fellow Italians Zebre. No side has ever progressed to the quarter-finals on the back of losing their opening two games and that is unlikely to change this time out.
Munster’s defeat in Murrayfield hasn’t proved as costly as it might have, given all four teams in Pool 6 now have a win each to their name. At one stage it looked as if Edinburgh might back up that surprise victory in round one with another shock result at the Stade Aime Giral. They led by four points at half-time despite having a try correctly overruled by the TMO for a foot in touch. Perpignan had sufficient firepower to strangle Edinburgh after the break, registering four tries for a bonus point win that propels them to the top of the pool table.
The challenge for Munster now is to improve their set piece efficiency in order to compete with a gargantuan Perpignan pack in the key reverse encounters in rounds three and four. At least the first of those is in Thomond Park, albeit at the 12.45pm graveyard shift on a Sunday. Given how flat things were in the stadium last Saturday evening, that is a worry. Thomond Park needs to be hostile for this one for you can take it as read that the return affair at the Aime Giral will be raucous.
The difficulty for Rob Penney going into those games is that with three autumn internationals in November, he will only have one match, a Rabo outing away to the Dragons, to reintegrate his international contingent before Perpignan arrive in Limerick. While Leinster and Ulster face a similar challenge, they appear more cohesive units at present with Munster still coming to terms with game management issues in the wake of Ronan O’Gara’s retirement.
O’Gara has been such a dominant figure for Munster over the last sixteen seasons that the person handed the No 10 jersey is on a hiding to nothing. Think back to the camera focusing on the Corkman sitting in the Irish dugout every time Jonny Sexton was taking a penalty for Ireland when Sexton was trying to find his feet at that level and you get a feel for the pressure Ian Keatley is under. It’s not easy operating in the slipstream of greatness, just ask David Moyes.
Everything Keatley does is compared to his illustrious predecessor and he has to perform in an atmosphere where his every move is scrutinised. The same applies to JJ Hanrahan who has far less game time accumulated at this level than Keatley.
The former Connacht outhalf has attributes that differentiate him from O’Gara, with his exceptional pace over the first ten metres an obvious plus. What he needs to do is back himself, play what’s in front of him and not be straight-jacketed into a fixed game plan.
Keatley is an astute tactical kicker and needs to trust in his ability when the conditions dictate, as they did in the second half last Saturday. A more judicious use of the elements would have pinned Gloucester deep in their own half and allowed Munster to utilise their superior power up front.
Watching Ulster and Leinster triumph over very decent French opposition, a key element of their respective wins was the performance of their high-profile signings. Jimmy Gopperth has proved a very astute signing while Johann Muller and Ruan Pienaar were once again outstanding for Ulster. Gopperth and Quinn Roux were the only two non-Irish qualified players in Leinster’s matchday squad but they have the luxury of easing Springbok Zane Kirchner into action over the next few weeks — that is unless South Africa choose to include him in the squad for their autumn series.
While finances are an ongoing issue for Munster, not least on the back of a heavy repayment schedule to the IRFU for the redevelopment of Thomond Park, it is imperative the province don’t take their eye off the ball from a rugby perspective. Now, more than ever, Munster need to make a statement of intent, commensurate with their status in the European game, and secure a marquee signing.
Ma’a Nonu was without a provincial contract in New Zealand up to last weekend and Clermont Auvergne were keen to sign him, with Munster also rumoured to have shown an interest. He would have been an inspirational signing.
The challenge now is to source a player of that calibre even if the purse strings are stretched. Sometimes you have to extend yourself, as Ulster did a few seasons ago, and go for broke. Unfortunately, Nonu has signed for the Auckland Blues after a season with the Highlanders, which is unfortunate, as Munster badly need to recruit someone of Nonu’s stature to highlight their ambition.
At the other end of the scale, they could do worse than entice former Leinster academy product Robin Copeland back from Wales. He has impressed me on numerous occasions in the Rabo, despite playing in a very inconsistent Cardiff Blues side.
On Saturday he was man of the match in Cardiff’s shock win over Toulon, playing No 8 against a back row of the quality of All Black Chris Masoe, Argentine captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and England international Steffan Armitage.
Given the levels of attrition associated with playing in the back row, you can never have enough options in that crucial sector. Willing and able though he is, Donnacha Ryan is better deployed in the second row. It only underlines the necessity to strengthen this area further when, every time Munster arrive at a critical point in the season, Ryan is asked to do a holding job at No 6. It says everything about the qualities he possesses that he never disappoints in the role, but a longer term solution is required.
