Munster call-up for Manning
Manning (20) was added to the 22-man squad yesterday in the absence of the injured Jason Holland. Garryowen out-half Conan Doyle was released to play for his club in the AIB League semi-final against Belfast Harlequins.
Holland’s knee ligament injury means he will play no part in the remainder of Munster’s season.
With 101 appearances to his credit Holland is now officially retired from representative rugby but will stay on in Ireland for another season. He has signed a contract to act as player/coach to Midleton before making his way home to New Zealand after eight years in this country.
Manning is named as reserve to Paul Burke for tomorrow’s game, with first choice Ronan O’Gara still in rehabilitation following a knee injury.
Munster coach Alan Gaffney has admitted Holland’s loss is a blow but hailed Manning as a player of rare talent.
“He has committed to playing in Ireland for the foreseeable future and he is a pretty rare talent. He has trained with us quite a few times this season and has always impressed.
“I watched him last week for UCC against Lansdowne in a game when he had to operate behind a beaten pack. He accomplished himself very well against Felipe Contepomi.
“He kicks well with both feet, likes to attack and defends very well for a relatively small guy. He is very skilful, has a great understanding of the game and does a lot of work off the ball.”
Munster take on Edinburgh for the second time in a fortnight, after beating the visitors in the final game of the league at the same venue.
Munster had to come from 13 points down and that’s something that worries Gaffney, who believes his side must take this game by the scruff of the neck from the off this time round.
“This is a different scenario from the league fixture. This time there will be no second chance. If we lose, we’re out of the competition and that would be a great disappointment.”
Gaffney is conscious that Edinburgh have the ability to win and noted that “they certainly put it up to us big time in the last match. We cannot go on giving away the initiative early in the game as we have done in the last three or four matches.
“It has now come to a point that people almost expect us to leak points early on and then come back to win. That, unfortunately, doesn’t always happen. We have to look at ourselves and make sure we start strongly and finish strongly. We don’t need to put pressure on ourselves like that.
“Two weeks ago we conceded a silly penalty after two minutes, then a silly try soon after that. We found ourselves 13 points adrift and it was an uphill struggle after that. But it was our problem and happily we solved it as the game went on.
“Edinburgh, however, have the ability to win this match if we give away cheap scores, and that danger will certainly be one of the major talking points as we build up to the game.
“We have got to be more disciplined, much more precise in what we do. By our own assessment, we were poor in that game. Our set piece play wasn’t as good as what it should have been and our play across the paddock wasn’t what it should have been. That’s from one to 15, and when I talk of set piece play I refer to what we do off possession won from the scrums or lineouts. That again brings in a collective responsibility for everyone in the team, from one to 15.”
Edinburgh will name their team at lunchtime today and they should be boosted by the availability of Scottish International and Lion Simon Taylor. He missed the last game in Thomond Park through injury but is now set to return and will be earmarked as a major threat to Munster’s final aspirations.
: S. Payne, J. Kelly, M. Mullins, R. Henderson, A. Horgan, P. Burke, P. Stringer, M. Horan, F. Sheahan, J. Hayes, D. O’Callaghan, P. O’Connell, A. Quinlan, A. Foley, D. Wallace.
: J. Manning, P. Devlin, M. Prendergast, D. Leamy, T. Hogan, J. Flannery, E. McGovern.
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