As Leinster target ageing Toulon, Munster fire up new-look offence
MUNSTER find themselves on the outside looking in at this weekend’s Champions Cup semi-finals, and with Leinster heading for the Stade Velodrome in Marseille to meet Toulon, will doubtless reflect on their Heineken Cup semi-final against the same opposition last May.
Munster’s European assignment proved a step too far this season but when you consider two of their Pool 1 opponents - Clermont Auvergne and Saracens - have also made the last four you begin to realise that, with a kinder pool draw, they too could well have made the knockout stage.
Leinster were fortunate in that respect for, in a tournament that has been reduced from 24 to 20 teams, Matt O’ Connor’s men were handed a far more negotiable task. The fact that circumstances elsewhere resulted in them securing a home quarter-final also bought them time.
With so many injuries and commitments to the national squad in terms of playing personnel, Leinster have been playing catch-up all season. They - just about - got away with it against Bath but will have no margin for error on Sunday. The time has come to deliver and Leinster have the personnel on board to trouble what I feel is a talented but ageing Toulon side.
They have been coasting a bit on reputation this season and that offers Leinster opportunity.
The big question is whether or not Leinster are in a position to avail of that chance should the door open sufficiently for them to make the first ever Champions Cup final against the odds.
While Munster were surplus to requirements for European knockout action for the first time in 17 seasons it was, nonetheless, a very good week for the province with the signing of Auckland Blues centre Francis Saili.
He is the real deal and has the ability to ignite Munster’s attacking game. With Tyler Blyendaal also making an impact in training, Munster’s attacking options for next season have increased significantly.
While Saili may not be a household name to many of the Munster faithful and may not have resonated with the casual follower in the same way that the signing of Christian Cullen or Doug Howlett did, I can assure you he has the capacity to change the way Munster play.
Unfortunately Cullen was past his best when he arrived and was hampered by injury throughout his time here. Howlett was a class act, on and off the field, even if it is more difficult to influence the outcome of games when operating on the wing.
Arguably the little known Rua Tipoki was Munster’s most influential foreign signing behind the scrum as the understanding and relationship he developed with Ronan O’Gara brought Munster to new heights. When O’Gara decided to name one of his sons after the proud Maori centre, you begin to understand the influence he had on the Cork man.
Tipoki had the ability to read opposition defensive weaknesses on the run and waited until the last second to call where he wanted O’Gara to deliver his pass. He was an out-half’s dream as he brought a huge amount of tactical awareness to a key area of the field.
Saili is different to his New Zealand predecessors in that he arrives at the comparatively young age of 24 having been capped for New Zealand at 22. To make the breakthrough as an All Black at that age, in an area where New Zealand are awash with talent, says everything about the potential this acquisition holds for Munster.
The fact that fellow Aucklander Howlett is still living in Cork and actively involved in Munster rugby should help in integrating the talented centre into the particular nuances of the province. Saili would have grown up watching Howlett clock up many a memorable try for Auckland and New Zealand. Howlett would have been sounded out by Saili in the decision to commit to such a big move at this stage of his career.
With Blyendaal fast on the road to recovery after his neck injury, Anthony Foley and Brian Walsh will, at last, have the resources to piece together a quality back line brimming with pace, stepping and off-loading ability. Given that Keith Earls was unavailable for the vast majority of the season to date, he too appears like a new signing and is back to his best.
Simon Zebo has had precious little chance to showcase his talents with ball in hand this season so he too will be energised by Munster’s new acquisition while Gerhart van den Heever was just set to establish himself in the side when injury intervened on his first ever European start against Clermont back in December. He has been out since. In his absence Ronan O’Mahony has made great strides and both he and Andrew Conway will also be pushing hard for a place in that back three next season.
All of a sudden Munster have multiple options available to them behind the scrum and the capacity to piece together a very decent attacking force. How ironic that this should happen at a time when Munster appear somewhat vulnerable in the front five.
Paul O’Connell may well choose to call time on his remarkable career after the World Cup which places huge importance on Donnacha Ryan’s ability to recover from his long term injury issues and find form quickly. In addition BJ Botha is set to leave the province next December.
With Damien Varley forced to retire and doubts still surrounding the future of Mike Sherry, Munster are also exposed at hooker. The fact that they had been chasing the signature of Argentine captain Agustin Creevy reflects this but unfortunately the Puma hooker is returning home next season. Duncan Casey continues to improve but Munster must add breadth to their options.
In order to extract the maximum return from the potential that now exists behind the scrum, Munster need to bolster an area that has traditionally been one of the strongest sectors of the team. A few more pieces of the jigsaw still need to be put in place if Munster are to be a force in Europe against next season but the signing of Saili sends out all the right messages.
As for this year, Irish interests rest solely on the shoulders of Leinster Sunday and I would be a bit more bullish about their chances had Matt O’Connor taken the opportunity to play his first choice side against the Dragons last Sunday. I had sympathy with his plight in the build-up to the Champions Cup quarter-final given that the majority of his side hadn’t played for Leinster in 10 weeks. It showed in their performance against Bath but they prevailed.
Leinster should have been making up for lost time by fielding their strongest selection last weekend. They had a full week to recover and you can’t be put in cotton wool forever. By making 12 changes from the side that beat Bath, Leinster not only lost their chance of making the playoff of the Guinness Pro 12, but by surrendering a 22-8 lead in the second half, have undermined their confidence even further heading into the biggest challenge of their season.
O’Connor should have played his front line troops for 60 minutes, won the game and facilitated badly needed pitch time together as a entity. After his not unreasonable attack on the Irish management player welfare system in recent weeks, this is a self inflicted wound that may well come back to bite as soon as next weekend.
