Celtic League finally wins over fans
The rugby season doesn’t afford that luxury. With the halfway point not yet reached, there is still ample opportunity for the struggling sides to reverse their fortunes and those in the ascendancy to achieve their potential and secure silverware.
The events of the past fortnight have provided a clear indication of the strength of our provinces with vital Heineken Cup dates looming.
The Christmas period will be remembered as the time when the Celtic League finally achieved acceptance from the rugby paying public.
Attendance records were broken on three separate occasions from Ravenhill to Cardiff Arms Park, culminating with over 14,000 in the RDS when Leinster hosted Munster.
The festive period was particularly satisfying for Eddie O’Sullivan. Having taken the sensible decision to cancel their second squad session of the holiday period, he had the satisfaction of seeing three key members of the national squad, who missed the autumn internationals, return to action.
Paul O’Connell made an immediate impact when he lined out against Connacht and Leinster, scoring tries in both games.
Even more significant was the return of Brian O’Driscoll. While a 30-minute cameo appearance against Ulster revealed little, there was sufficient evidence to suggest in his performance against Munster that it will not take long for Ireland’s captain to return to his creative best.
It was also good to see Denis Hickie emerge from his most recent injury setback.
As befits all derbies, the interest in the clash of Munster and Leinster was phenomenal. This was reflected not only in the record attendance but also in the manner in which people sought live television coverage of the game.
Armed with Setanta Sports at home, I felt like the guy who had the only radio in town when people assembled to listen to Michael O’Hehir’s radio commentaries in days of yore. Suffice to say, we had an unusual number of visitors for one o’clock on New Year’s Eve.
Unfortunately from a Munster perspective, the game was a big disappointment. Leinster were good value for their victory and atoned for their abject performance in Musgrave Park last October. That, coupled with an excellent away victory in Ravenhill, sees them in rude health as they approach their vital Heineken Cup games against Glasgow and Bath this month.
For Munster, given the manner in which they dominated the opening quarter, the result is a setback.
Munster’s greatest difficulty in recent times has been the inability to transfer dominance where it matters most, on the scoreboard.
That said I feel Munster are playing the game in a manner to prove their critics wrong. Munster’s strength lies up front - it has been that way for over 100 years. Against Leinster there were times when they betrayed their natural game in favour of a wider approach. The simple truth, given the quality of personnel available, is that Leinster are better at executing that game plan.
Rugby is a multi-faceted game. Different teams have different styles. For the well-informed rugby supporter there is as much beauty in watching a well choreographed 20-yard driving maul as there is in watching O’Driscoll, D’Arcy and Contepomi working in unison.
Yet on a number of occasions this season Munster have forsaken the core strengths that have been central to their achievements in recent times.
Yes, to achieve the ultimate goal of success in Europe, it is vital to have the ability of varying the way you play. However, it is also imperative that you play to your strengths.
The one player who thrived on the opportunity afforded him through the festive period was Limerick centre Barry Murphy. He constantly carries the ball in two hands, and is always seeking to offload in the tackle. While he showed a degree of inexperience when presented with a possible try-scoring opportunity at the death to win the game at the RDS, this guy deserves a prolonged run in the team.
As a consequence of last weekend’s defeat, Munster’s game on Saturday against Edinburgh in Murrayfield now assumes vital importance.
The Scottish side has made steady progress over the past two seasons and that is reflected in their current standing, just one point behind leaders Munster in the Celtic League. With the season’s defining game against Castes just nine days away, it is vital Declan Kidney’s men get the show back on the road as quickly as possible. With a plethora of their national team in the side, the Scots are sure to provide a ferocious challenge.
Leinster’s recent performance in Bourgoin has provided a timely boost to their mental character. The manner in which they recovered from a 14-point deficit at one stage to almost snatch victory has worked wonders for their confidence. They are the form team in Ireland. The bonus of O’Driscoll’s return should provide sufficient impetus to ensure that their Heineken Cup survival will go down to the wire when they visit Bath in just over two weeks’ time. They now look odds on to secure five points from their next home European game against Glasgow.
The domestic performance of the holiday period must surely be Connacht’s well-deserved victory over Ulster in the Showgrounds.
It has been a difficult few months for Michael Bradley’s team, yet their recent victory over highly rated English side Worcester in the European Challenge Cup has signalled a reversal of fortunes. For 60 minutes in Thomond Park they asked serious questions of Munster but lacked sufficient quality in depth to record a famous victory. Restored to full strength against Ulster they secured the win that will hopefully provide the catalyst for greater things in the second half of the season.
Overall the increasing competitiveness of this year’s Celtic League has provided an opportune preparatory ground for European competition. That, and the fact that the front line international players from all the Celtic countries are appearing with greater regularity, has provided the competition with greater credibility.
Whether it proves a sufficient base to conquer our rivals in France and England will be decided over the coming weeks.
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