In modern rugby, power is king

WITH due respects to the Celtic League, the real rugby season starts this weekend.

For excitement, colour, and passion, the Heineken Cup stands unrivalled as the premier competition in the northern hemisphere. The Six Nations Championship has suffered as a consequence. In terms of quality and competitiveness it has now matched its Super 12 equivalent in the southern hemisphere. And for Ireland’s three representatives, the coming weekend affords an opportunity of starting the competition on a positive note.

Last season saw Munster defeated at the penultimate stage of the competition for the third time in recent seasons. The semi-final defeat to eventual winners Wasps was a classic - when Lawrence Dallaglio described it as the greatest club match he had ever played in, you begin to appreciate the magnitude of the occasion. While his words in once sense were a great tribute to Munster, in effect they offer a scant consolation.

In the immediate aftermath of that game, talismanic captain Jim Williams questioned what needed to be done in order for Munster to achieve their ultimate goal when facing the business end of a tournament of this nature. Things would have to change.

This summer has provided the Munster squad and management team with an opportunity for serious soul-searching. Despite fielding a full international forward unit, the Munster pack felt under-powered against Wasps. Both Paul O’Connell and Donnacha O’Callaghan were shocked at the sheer physical presence of Simon Shaw.

Ireland encountered similar problems when they faced the new athletic, juggernaut South African pack on their summer tour. At the top level, power has become king.

Munster has recognised this and introduced new specialists in the field of strength and conditioning. Four fitness specialists now supervise the squad. The addition of a nutritionist also ensures that each player’s individual dietary requirements are catered for on a daily basis.

At national level, all squad players have undertaken a full ten-week pre season programme that should result in a physically stronger group of players. While this development hasn’t met with universal approval, it’s a case of “short term pain, long term gain.” The benefits of this programme may not become apparent until the knock out stages of European competition. On the evidence of recent Celtic League games, the returning internationals are playing catch-up. One hopes that this will not have an adverse effect this weekend.

Collectively, the Munster players and management have also accepted a deficiency in their defensive structures, which conceded nine tries in the quarter and semi-final stages of last year’s tournament. In order to address this, former Great Britain rugby league player Graham Steadman has been appointed to work with the squad. While he will bring more structure to Munster’s defensive organisation, he has also invested much time in improving the individual technique of a number of the players.

Over the years, the hallmark of this Munster squad has been honesty. Off the field, both players and management have put their hands up and tackled areas that needed to be addressed. Whether or not it yields the desired result will only become apparent in time.

With regard to the immediate task at hand, Munster should have little difficulty in disposing of a very poor Harlequins outfit in their opening game on Saturday.

In the space of five months, Harlequins have gone from winning the Parker Pen Shield, to bottom place in the Zurich Premiership. Most depressing of all was the hammering inflicted by premiership new boys Worcester by 33-7 a few weeks ago. This victory was the first by a promoted side in the league for almost two years.

Right now, Europe seems a journey too far for the London-based outfit. Over the last two seasons their forward unit has lost internationals of the quality of Jason Leonard, Keith Wood, David Wilson and Pat Sanderson. They have not been replaced. Behind the scrum they possess more Irish qualified backs than London Irish, with Jeremy Staunton, Andy Dunne, Simon Keogh, Mel Deane and Gavin Duffy suffering from a lack of quality possession. Suffice to say this group will not be relishing a return to Thomond Park.

Elsewhere, the appointment of Declan Kidney to lead Leinster’s charge into Europe has heightened the expectation levels within the province. The evidence to date would suggest that Kidney still has a lot to do in hardening their resilience away from home.

His ability to challenge and motivate individuals may yet provide the missing link for Leinster. The other key factor will be the ability of the Wellington Hurricanes out-half David Holwell to maximise the outstanding talent available behind the scrum. Leinster open their campaign with an awkward assignment against Benetton Treviso in Italy. Kidneys attention to detail will ensure that there will be no surprises here. An expected away victory should provide the ideal opening platform.

As a result of being the third-seeded Irish side over the past number of seasons, Ulster have invariably ended up in a horrifically competitive group. As a consequence, they were thrilled at the outset of the season with the IRFU’s decision to use the Celtic League as a means of ranking Ireland’s participants in this tournament in future. However, their form to date has been so poor they lie one from bottom.

New coach Mark McCall faces a huge challenge in qualifying from a group containing both Gloucester and Stade Francais. Over the years, Ulster has proved impossible to beat in Ravenhill. Recent defeats at home in the Celtic League have undermined that superiority.

While Ulster possesses some of the finest young talent in the country, with players like Tommy Bowe, Roger Wilson and Neil Best making a big impression, they lack the overall experience of both Munster and Leinster. That said, they are certainly good enough to dispose of a poor Cardiff side in their opening encounter on Friday night.

However, the remaining pool games will prove a lot more challenging.