This one comes down to old-fashioned values
WHEN it comes to constructing a multi-phase attack, Leinster are up there with the very best in rugby for creating space and converting possession into points. Today’s Magners League Grand Final opponents Munster, on the other hand, tend to go through phase after phase, grinding their way over the gain line, making minimal yardage for maximum effort. It also makes them easier to defend against.
Munster operate a system where the first receiver stands flat off the scrum-half, making it more difficult to generate momentum as more often than not there is a line of defenders waiting to greet him. Damien Varley is often used in this manner and does well to gain the yardage he does. The same sequence continues phase after phase.
By way of contrast the Leinster carriers come around the corner of the breakdown, arriving late and are therefore more difficult to line up in defence. The momentum they generate by camouflaging the ball carrier also means they invariably make more yardage when in possession.
Leinster know exactly what to expect when playing against Munster and have their defence structured accordingly. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Munster have now gone six games on the trot against them without scoring a single try.
To win today, Munster have to break that sequence and therefore need to change the manner with which they structure their phase attack. Munster need to pull a rabbit out of the hat and throw something different at Leinster in order to prevail.
ONE of the main reasons Northampton were able to deny Leinster attacking opportunities in the opening half of the Heineken Cup final last Saturday was that they prevented them from generating any quick ball at the breakdown. The foundation for this came from the scrum, where Leinster were put on the back foot denying Jamie Heaslip the opportunity to pick off the base and generate forward momentum. The fact that the Northampton back row were getting up off scrums and going forward made it far easier to dominate the breakdown.
Leinster are no different to any side in that if you deny them quick ball it facilitates the defensive line in closing the space in midfield. Given the quality that Leinster have in that sector, this is a must. Munster must therefore seek to build on the momentum they created at scrum time in the Magners League semi-final against a very good Ospreys unit as a first step in slowing Leinster’s possession.
In addition, they need to flood the breakdown with sufficient numbers to rattle Leinster without compromising their defensive screen. When Munster managed to turn the tide in the second half of their recent win against Leinster in Thomond Park they did so by completely bossing the breakdown in that period. They rediscovered their physical edge in the tight exchanges and delivered ball on a plate for Ronan O’Gara. That pressure forced Leinster into the concession of numerous penalties which O’Gara gratefully accepted to turn an 11-point deficit into a one-point win. Munster need to exert that type of pressure and hope that given Leinster’s heavy schedule of late, they just might run out of steam and perhaps — given the week they have had — even a bit of hunger
WHEN you reach the last day of a long season and face your greatest rivals in a battle for silverware, tactics can become secondary. This evening’s final is all about hunger, all about desire. From a Leinster perspective, the question they must address is how often can they go to the well and summon the physical and mental edge necessary to win a contest of this nature.
Had Leinster failed to claw back that 16-point deficit last Saturday, their motivation for today would border on manic.
Because of what they achieved in converting what could have been a defeat of embarrassing proportions into one of the greatest Heineken Cup wins of all time, subconsciously that may affect them if Munster get an edge.
The key for Munster is to let Leinster know that they are in one hell of a pitched battle from the off. They cannot allow Leinster to ease themselves gently into the game and dictate the pace as they did in the opening half of that Magners League game in Limerick a few weeks ago. Joe Schmidt’s players must see they are up against an unrelenting beast from the outset. Munster have done all the hard work in this Magners League, winning 19 out of 22 encounters over a nine-month slog to earn the right to host this final. Thomond Park must count for something. They have to lay down the law early and make Leinster realise they are in Munster’s patch. They can only conquer so many peaks in one week.
This one will come down to the old-fashioned values of desire, hunger and an insatiable will to win. After the events of this season at least Munster should have more of that in reserve than Leinster. However, the question remains: will it be enough to see them over the finish line?
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
