Skipper hails young blood
In comparison to his contribution as a young player with Munster, O’Connell believes it has been much more taxing for the youngsters that have been blooded over the last six months or so; it has, he insists, been a time of enlightenment and achievement, and he hopes that will pay rich dividends at Thomond Park on Sunday as his side go head-to-head for the second time in a week with the Scarlets.
O’Connell says it had been a difficult time for his side, like getting over players such as Ian Dowling, Barry Murphy and Alan Quinlan leaving, as well as John Hayes stepping aside. “It’s only when guys like that aren’t around that you realise how important they were,” says O’Connell.
“But now the guys who have come in have had another year at it and have stepped up. The guys who have been successful in the B and I Cup the last few years; the ones who played really well, have had another year training with the senior team and when they came into the side they have excelled. They haven’t looked to just tread water, they have been standout players, that has been happening for the last six or seven months with the young guys and it has made a big difference.”
As a role model, O’Connell would be expected to show the lead, and he does that without question. But the skipper says he does try his best to leave the youngsters learn in their own way, if not at their own pace.
“Yeah, you do have to look out for them, but I think the guys who are (have been) successful are generally the guys who can look out for themselves. It’s not easy coming into a team if you’ve been playing AIL or B and I Cup. When you come into the RaboDirect Pro12 or Heineken Cup, it’s always going to be a step up but the guys who can handle themselves are the guys that make it.
“It was very different for me, a lot easier, there were a lot less fixtures then and when I got my break it was in a pack with seven internationals; very often when these guys get a break, it is in a Pro12 game when a lot of internationals are away. I wouldn’t like to be a young guy trying to make the breakthrough now. It’s a tough place to be.”
Despite Munster’s position at the head of their Heineken Cup pool, O’Connell is under no illusions that the Scarlets could sweep the feet from under them come Sunday.
Last week’s win in Wales eased the pressure but also upped the challenge for the two-time European champions, O’Connell admits.
“We got lucky in some ways, you can’t afford to have a start like we did and generally if you start like that, you lose. We did it against Castres as well, we’re giving ourselves work to do.
“The focus we showed from 20 minutes on was really good and we did a lot of the simple things well; considering how we started, it was a great result in the end. We showed great defence on the 22, excellent discipline and patience. I suppose it would have been very easy for the referee to give a penalty there but we gave him no reason to give one and then forced the error from them. That was very satisfying, but we could still have lost it.”
Arguably, Munster won the game on the basis of a solid defence after the opening quarter, and O’Connell was genuinely pleased, noting: “You have to have the work done over time and I think we have the work done, Axel (Anthony Foley) has been working on our defence for the past few years. A big part of it is communication; in the video you will hear a lot of people telling others what to do, trying to get people off the ground, getting them to leave go of the ball when they felt they had hands on in the breakdown. Yes, communication is a big part of it and work rate is a big part of it as well, you’ve got to keep getting off the ground, keep making the tackles, and to keep having a look up when you’re tired, when it’s probably easier to look into a ruck. It’s a lot of simple things coming together; when we do that we can be a very good side.”
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