Time to test game plan

Rob Penney may now have a defeat on his record as Munster head coach, but the New Zealander sends a much-changed team out tonight at Thomond Park (8pm) against Newport Gwent Dragons confident his players are heading in the right direction with a big month coming up in October.

With the opening Heineken Cup pool games just around the corner and a key RaboDirect Pro12 fixture against European champions Leinster on October 6, Munster’s new game plan may still be a work in progress but it is set for a series of litmus tests.

The first comes tonight against a Dragons team easily dismissed on account of their regularly low ranking in the league table but full of fight up front and no little talent.

Is time running out for Munster, then, to get their new, more expansive ‘total rugby’ system up to speed? Not a bit of it, said Penney.

“Oh no, I’m really positive about the direction we’re heading and where we’re at. We’ve still got three more games before the October carnage comes to our door and we’re really positive about the direction we’re going in and the attitude of the blokes and where we’re at.

“So, collectively, as a management group, we’ve got to be really smart about the management of their physical nature at the moment, given they’ve had a pretty rigorous pre-season and early part of the season. There’s been a lot of guys having a lot of footy.”

To that end, outside centre Casey Laulala, openside flanker Sean Dougall and scrum-half Duncan Williams have all been given a night off after each playing throughout pre-season and starting the first three league games. That gives Penney the opportunity to start Keith Earls in his preferred position at 13 with the Ireland star looking to continue on from his impressive seasonal debut off the bench at Ulster last Friday night.

“We played some good footy and did some great things in defence but we also left a lot of opportunities out on the track again, which is exciting for us because we’re heading in the right direction,” Penney said of the 20-19 defeat at Ulster.

Echoing his boss, second-row Billy Holland said that while he was pleased with the increase in physicality Munster showed against a tough Ulster pack last weekend he admitted the province was still a way off where they wanted to be in terms of overall performance.

“Looking back on the video in the cold light of day there were lots of things, in particular with the forwards, our mauling game, our defence around the maul and the pick and go wasn’t at the standard where we want to be. We left a lot behind us there.

“The backs are playing some super rugby at the moment and the forwards, when we get going, we’re doing well. There’s just a few little things we need to clean up on.

“We’ll never have the perfect game of rugby but that’s what we’re trying to strive for.”

While Munster continue their league campaign, one of their props could make his English Premiership debut this afternoon.

Alan Cotter joined London Irish on a short-term loan deal yesterday, replacing John Ryan who returned to the Irish province this week and was in Munster A action on Thursday.

Cotter, 25, joins the Exiles as an injury replacement for Leo Halavatau who picked up a calf injury against Wasps last weekend and is named on the replacements’ bench to face Bath today.

“John Ryan did a fantastic job for us while he was here and we are sure Alan will make a similar impression,” London Irish director of rugby Brian Smith said.

MUNSTER: I Keatley; D Howlett — captain, K Earls, J Downey, S Zebo; R O’Gara, P Stringer; M Horan, M Sherry, BJ Botha, Donncha O’Callaghan, B Holland; Dave O’Callaghan, N Ronan, P Butler.

Replacements: D Varley, W du Preez, S Archer, D Foley, T O’Donnell, C Murray, D Barnes, JJ Hanrahan.

DRAGONS: D Evans; W Harries, A Hughes, A Smith, T Prydie; L Robling, J Evans; P Price, S Jones — captain, D Way; I Nimmo, A Jones; D Lydiate, J Groves, T Brown.

Replacements: S Parry, A Coundley, T Ryan, T Faletau, L Evans, L Davies, A Tuilagi. P Leach.