Satisfied O’Gara hails tactics as key to victory

A TYPICAL Munster European night in Thomond Park. An utterly dominant pack decisively outplaying a giant Bourgoin eight, blowing them backwards in mauls both defensive and offensive.

An atypical Munster European night in Thomond Park: brilliant backline, attacks coming from all angles, threat in every corner, potential in every pass.

Where once the men in red were over-dependent on a dominant pack to produce the scores, with the backline doing the business in defence, now it’s a 15-man effort on both sides of the ball, a fact accepted by open-side flanker David Wallace who was pivotal in the link role.

“Sometimes when you try that it can break down, and it did, occasionally, but most of the time it was pretty good. It was the total opposite to last week, which was a closer game, very different conditions. The referee helped also, coming from a sevens background he kind of let us play an open free-flowing game, good for the fitness, good entertainment for the crowd too.”

Out-half Ronan O’Gara too was happy with this new development.

“The good thing about this team now is that we have a few game plans within the overall game plan, we keep adapting to what we see. I didn’t really kick for position at all, a few defensive kicks in the first-half which weren’t great, put us under a bit of pressure, but I thought our game tactics were good, kept the ball in play, a high-tempo game.

“You have fellas like Barry Murphy showing he’s back to near his best, JK’s (John Kelly) work-rate is incredible, Dowling is getting more confidence, Halstead can turn it on when he wants to, and Shaun Payne is Shaun Payne. Shaun is someone who doesn’t get much mention but when you have a full-back as good as he is, it’s reassuring — he’s incredible. I can’t believe he didn’t get man-of-the-match, week-in and week-out, he’s one of our best players.”

O’Gara was recently described as possibly the second-best out-half in the world, to New Zealand’s Dan Carter; perhaps not — maybe now, he’s up there with the Kiwi. His ability to control a game through the boot has never been in doubt; for years, however, his passing, his ability to set a backline in motion has been overlooked, and even derided.

Lately, though, eyes are being opened. His passing off left and right, his ability to attack the gain-line, has long been appreciated by his own team-mates, both international and provincial. Now, with the likes of Halstead and Murphy with Munster, with exciting second-half substitute Mafi, with D’Arcy and O’Driscoll with Ireland, that ability is being given a more public airing. Murphy’s instinct in attacking the gap has given Munster and O’Gara a cutting edge not seen since the prime days of Mike Mullins.

Said O’Gara. “That’s the main thing with whoever is playing 13 outside me, be it Drico or Barry Murphy, put the ball out in front of him, let him attack it; I think that brings the best out in both of them, and it’s great to have that, someone that attacks with pace regardless of the conditions.

“This was a good all-round performance, not exceptional by any means, but we were clinical when we needed to be in difficult conditions. Good to see we’re banging in tries, not conceding too many.”