Sculpting the complete package

IF HE’S not careful, Tony McGahan could end up as the next Ireland defence and backs coach when the new coaching ticket is pieced together.

With just a single try conceded in the last four games, the best defensive record in the Magners League last season and so far the meanest this season, McGahan’s ability is catching the eye. He’s the quiet man in the background, who not just endeavours to make the Munster defence impenetrable, but also fine-tunes the attack, combining the skill-sets of Kiwi and Irish that has Munster playing some scintillating ball-in-hand rugby.

It’s very un-Munster like play as Ian Dowling’s try against Gloucester demonstrated but it’s a reflection of the 35-year-old from Brisbane as he sculpts them into the complete outfit.

What is remarkable is that McGahan has achieved so much in 35 years. He was brought up with the oval ball in hand, privately educated by the Christian Brothers at Queensland’s most famous rugby nursery, St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Brisbane, and represented Queensland schoolboys. He later qualified as a PE teacher and combined the day job with rugby league, but in coaching he found his true calling.

And from the age of 22 he has been with Australian under 19s, Queensland A and Australia A while his ability to cross codes has seen him take up a coaching positions with the NRL side, Brisbane Broncos. Before moving to Munster he spent a year in Tokyo coaching Club IBM union. His contract was up in late 2005, and he was looking for what Aussies and Kiwis like to term OSE – overseas experience.

“When Graham (Steadman) was seconded to the IRFU in November 2005, Munster were in the market for a defence coach,” recalls McGahan. “I was lucky enough that my manager was over there at the time. He was talking to clubs in England and Ireland and got into discussion with Munster. They were looking for a defence coach, I was off contract and wanted to further my career and get a top club in Europe.”

He says Steadman’s exit and the fact his manger was in Europe came down to “lucky timing”, but it appears Munster have found the right man at the right time, who not just prevents tries, but is the mind behind creating them also. It appears the players have successfully bought into his vision.

“The way the game is today and especially in Europe with the different conditions, you need to adapt to not only the conditions of the day, but to the opponents of the day. You come up against different opponents whether it’s the blitz defence or wedge defence. We would like to think that we have the skills-set and the mind-set to play both styles of rugby.”

He has found it enlightening working with the likes of Doug Howlett, Rua Tipoki and Ronan O’Gara knowing that their skill-sets complements the way he likes the game played. “I do all the back play and have a hand in devising and implementing attack strategies. But there’s a couple of things that stand out with the likes of O’Gara and Howlett.

‘‘Number one, they’re quality players and quality people at the same time. Secondly and importantly, they’re real professionals in the way they approach the game individually but also in the way they help the younger players coming through. They’re very easy to coach because they just want to get better.”

His philosophy in how he wants the game played was best summed in the build up and execution of that Dowling try against Gloucester.

“The players certainly have a lot of confidence in themselves and we, as a coaching staff, have plenty confidence in them as well. For that particular try it wouldn’t be a try Munster are most famed for – a turnover and an attack that lasted up to three minutes and Ian Dowling scoring in his opposite wing in the corner. The attack ability with regards to passing, running lines, and support play was excellent, probably a justification for the hard work the players have put in.”

But McGahan has been earning his spurs for his defence system which, he explains, lies in between the blitz and drift defence systems – the two structures brought from league and implemented in union.

“We wouldn’t be a blitz defence and we wouldn’t be wedge defence,” explains McGahan. “We would be somewhere in between. We would like to think that we would be adaptable to whatever attack numbers are running at us. If we were blitz we’d have only one sort of style whereas with wedge or drift you’re going consistently out all the time. We like to match the best of both — we like to be hard off the line, but we can mix and match depending on what the attack is throwing at us.

“We pride ourselves on our defence and what we’ve achieved in recent games. It’s a real team perspective and a strong standard of play for us.”

Off the field life is good to McGahan. As a sun-loving Aussie, he says he just accepts the weather. Munster has proved the land of the 1,000 welcomes, and there were plenty of congratulations when his wife gave birth to triplet boys in January. Juggling fatherhood and the Munster defence-attack has been difficult, but McGahan is enjoying his experience in Ireland. And as someone from the outside looking in, he is clear in what he sees as the biggest single attribute of this Munster team.

“Their honesty. They have a huge respect for the jersey that they’re wearing. They understand what it represents. When you look across the sports pages every week, terms such as honesty and attitude are bandied around. But with this group, those words aren’t cheap. They go out to deliver every time they put the jersey on.”

Next up are Ospreys before the trip to face Alan Gaffney’s Saracens. We let the case rest with the defence.

“We train with a squad of 30 players in every session. Like anything, you’d always like to give more time to the guys who aren’t in the regular 22 each week. We feel they can do the job for us and we have complete confidence in our midfield three of (Paul) Warwick, (Barry) Murphy and (Kieran) Lewis while Brian and Anthony on the wings give us great experience and they’re both excellent communicators. We’re confident we can be strong in that area this week.”