Paying lip service to player needs

DAY TRIPS to Dublin, as evidenced by the multiple shoppers boarding the evening train last Saturday, can be expensive affairs.

Munster found as much with injuries to Ronan O’Gara and Peter Stringer initially casting a shadow over their preparations for the Heineken Cup semi-final against Saracens in 11 days’ time.

Apart from the physical injuries, Munster’s pride also took a battering, losing twice to Leinster in the same season for the first time since the dawn of the professional era. Thankfully the medical report on Munster’s half backs are quite positive, and while neither will feature against the Ospreys this Saturday, both are likely to be available for selection for the Saracens clash.

On so many occasions in high profile games we are frustrated by the intervention of touch judges for innocuous incidents which require no action from the referee. Yet on Saturday evening with play continuing for several minutes while Stringer lay prostrate on the ground, common sense should have dictated that the adjacent touch judge inform the ref through his earpiece to stop play.

Under the circumstances I am sure that both sets of players would have appreciated the necessity for medical intervention.

Anyone who questions the intensity of the Magners League should have been in the RDS. Leinster started with a physical commitment that would not be out of place in a Six Nations clash. Their front five attacked Munster at every opportunity which yielded a clear cut advantage at both the scrum and line out.

However it was at the breakdown where they really made their mark. With two open side flankers in Shane Jennings and Keith Gleeson, they managed to pilfer a huge amount of Munster ball on the deck. In the absence of David Wallace, Denis Leamy was forced to play at open side, his fourth positional switch in recent weeks having lined out at No 8, blind side and inside centre.

In the build up to this game, Michael Cheika set the tone when referring to Leinster’s perceived bridesmaid position with the media due to Munster’s phenomenal achievements in Europe.

He pointed out to his players that “jealousy will get you nothing while hunger will get you everything”. His words proved prophetic. After the euphoria of Kingsholm it was inevitable that Munster would find it difficult to climb the same physical and psychological peak on successive Saturdays. Leinster, with the Magners League trophy within touching distance, played with a passion and intensity that was hard to match.

The display of Jonathan Sexton at out-half was one, that in the broader context of Irish rugby, was heartwarming. Those who question the influence of overseas players must recognise the contribution former Wallaby scrum half Chris Whitaker and Argentinian playmaker Felipe Contepomi have made to the development of the young St Mary’s out half.

In the same way that John Langford and Jim Williams influenced the development of several of the current Munster pack in their early days, Contepomi has made a similar impact on the likes of Sexton, Luke Fitzgerald and Rob Kearney. While Leinster are benefiting at present, there is no doubt that Ireland will also reap the rewards in the future.

While Munster retreated from Dublin with bruised bodies and egos, they will also have noted that their semi-final opponents Saracens were on the end of an even more serious 39-15 reversal against Gloucester at Kingsholm. That game offered an interesting comparison given Munster’s most recent success in the West Country. Shorn of a number of first-choice players, Saracens also lacked the frenzied fanaticism that marked their shock victory over the Ospreys and like Munster, paid the price.

JUST HOW big a threat the Ospreys would have posed to Munster playing at home in a semi-final was underlined forcibly with their 23-6 demolition of Leicester in the EDF Cup final at Twickenham. Unfortunately for them that performance was six days too late. With the Heineken Cup final also set for Cardiff they will have recurring nightmares over the failure to perform near their capability at Vicarage Road.

This Saturday, Ryan Jones’s men will provide Munster with another stern examination. Two weeks ago one had visions of this being a bout of shadow-boxing before a potential semi-final contest seven days later in Cardiff. With both sides now out of contention for the Magners League and with a number of injured players rested, the game is denied the intrigue that it would otherwise have attracted.

For now, the focus for Declan Kidney is to ensure that his injured players are given every opportunity to recover and that the remainder of the squad recharge the batteries, with a view to battle that lies in wait.

With that in mind, one can only look on in dismay at the lip service being paid to the demands on the modern player. Player welfare remains a serious issue yet it seems crazy in the extreme that Munster are scheduled to play three away fixtures in Coventry, Belfast and Llanelli over a seven-day period.

The decision to reschedule Munster’s game against Ulster, 48 hours after a Heineken Cup semi-final — even if it has since been put back another day — not only showed a scant regard for the Magners League but also a lack of understanding on the physical demands on the players.

Consider for a moment that had Munster and Connacht defeated Leinster and Ulster over the weekend, that rescheduled fixture in Ravenhill would have serious consequences for both the top and the bottom of the league table.

The fact that Munster are required to travel to Stradey Park three days after that Ulster encounter will stretch Declan Kidney’s resources to the limit and could also have implications for the Munster clubs who have battled manfully all season in the All-Ireland League and have the semi-finals on the same day as the Llanelli fixture.

Once again it could be the beleaguered clubs who will suffer most at the height of their season.

Watch this space.