McMahon upbeat as Reds tackle Sevens elite

Munster Sevens coach Colm McMahon is banking on his players’ enthusiasm to make up for any lack of experience when the province hosts the Limerick World Club Sevens tournament at Thomond Park this weekend.

The former Munster wing and Ireland Sevens player will preside over his province as it takes a step into new territory on Saturday by participating in an elite level Sevens tournament. Munster are in a group containing last season’s World Club Sevens quarter-finalists San Francisco and Moscow Saracens and will close out the first day of pool play against Fijian specialists Daveta before heading into Sunday’s play-off stage.

“This is very new to us as a group with regards a Munster professional side,” McMahon said. “Some of the guys have played a bit before when they were younger, usually in fun tournaments throughout the country but this will definitely be a step up. Preparations are going very well but we’ve a lot to learn and there’ll be a lot of learning as the tournament goes on. This is new to Munster Rugby in the professional era.”

Munster’s South African wing Gerhard van den Heever is the only player with any elite experience of the game, having been a member of the Emerging South Africa squad.

However the coach is hopeful his blank sheet can be adequately filled by footballers eager to display their skills.

“You look for guys you know are finishers, who have pace and can find space for themselves with good footwork. So mainly we’re talking about talented back three players, wingers and full-backs.

“You need a bit of strength as well because collisions are quite physical and the breakdown can be quite physical because you don’t have the numbers in it that you would in 15s.

McMahon’s day job as an academy coach means he has more than a fair idea about who will fit the bill.

“Ronan O’Mahony is a Limerick player who has come up through the academy and has played a lot of Rabo rugby in the last season and a half and is the type of player we’d be looking at. We also have some very talented players in the academy who would have played in the Junior World Cup over the last couple of seasons, the likes of Darren Sweetnam, Rory Scannell and Ryan Murphy, who we’d be looking to get involved. They are exciting players and Darren would be an example of a guy who is very well made for Sevens – he’s able to find space quite easily through his footwork and so this game should suit the likes of him quite well.

“The training sessions we’ve had, the players have been very keen and they’re really looking forward to having an opportunity to play in wide open spaces against quality opposition.

“We mentioned the blank canvas we have and we’re not looking to put too much structure on it. We’re not specialists but we do have good players who are good at running with the ball in hand, backing themselves to take an opportunity and look for good support to ensure we maintain possession.”

As much as McMahon is hoping Munster will learn as they go on, the former Shannon player is aware of the quality of opposition they will face from the off on Saturday morning.

“We play San Francisco first up, then the Moscow Saracens and finish up with a game against the Fijian club side Daveta, who are real specialists. We’re under no illusions and we’ll be learning as the tournament unfolds as well.

“Aside from the Fijians, the other opponents we play both reached the quarter-finals of the World Club Sevens in Twickenham last year so they have pedigree themselves and we’ll be under pressure in the group. But we hope to put on some good performances and be competitive.”