Tomás O’Leary says criticism comes with the territory

Tomás O’Leary has known the highs of Six Nations and Heineken Cup glory, the bitter disappointment of forfeiting his place on a Lions tour because of a broken leg and in the latter part of his career the frustration of playing in London Irish and Munster teams that all too often failed to reach standards of which they looked to be eminently capable.

Tomás O’Leary says criticism comes with the territory

O’Leary tried all he knew as the ‘Exiles’ struggled in his three years in London and is now experiencing much of the same frustration having returned to Munster. He admits the latest team meeting at UL this week was a case of déjà vu, with almost everyone giving their views on what needs to be done to address the run of five consecutive losses.

“It is not through a lack of effort but it is up to us as players to correct our mistakes which we haven’t done in the past few weeks,” O’Leary says.

“It is about us executing on the pitch and maintaining a bit of composure once we create opportunities. We are creating opportunities. Now it is about believing in what we are doing.”

Nevertheless, things have got so bad in recent weeks that many observers wonder if a fear-factor is inhibiting the group. “You do fear losing but you can’t allow fear to dictate how you perform and play,” he says.

“You still have to have ambition and believe in what you are doing. There’s criticism from the media and from our own supporters which is frustrating. Obviously, we want to reward our supporters with good performances and wins. Failing to do that adds to the pressure and certainly increases frustration and does dampen the mood.”

There is a clear sense of annoyance among supporters at head coach Anthony Foley and his assistants but O’Leary insists the structures are there for players to perform.

“We have let them down as a player group. We have everything in place, we have a good game plan and we are creating opportunities. But we haven’t executed on the pitch. It is about us accepting that responsibility as players.”

“I am used to criticism at this stage of my career but it’s still not nice. No one likes it but unfortunately it is part of being a professional rugby player. You take the pats on the back in the good times and you have to take the kicks in the backside in the bad times.

“Since I started as a professional rugby player, especially in key positions, you can expect a fair share of criticism. You cannot take it too personally. As a playing squad, we can’t deny we deserve a bit of criticism as the moment. We are not getting results, so it comes with the territory.”

O’Leary may have become accustomed to harsh criticism on occasions but appreciates the load can be heavier on younger members of the squad.

“It is a balancing act between being harder on some lads and putting the arm around the shoulder of other lads,” he reasoned.

“People react differently to criticism, to praise, to whatever.It is different for everyone and I guess that is the balancing act for the coaches and from our senior players. I think the key message for us as a player group is to take more responsibility, try and take the opportunities”.

Should critics be more patient as the squad recovers from the loss of an entire team of superstars like Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell?

“Everyone will point to the players who have gone,” O’Leary mused.

“You do miss players like that but I believe we have the players in Munster to succeed. For whatever reason, the last few weeks haven’t gone our way and I think it’s solely down to player performance rather than a lack of leadership or a lack of presence. I think it’s execution and performance rather than something missing from the dressing room.”

O’Leary faces another major challenge in the Kingspan on Saturday as he comes up against the great Springbok Ruan Pienaar.

“He has been the catalyst for Ulster’s recent pick-up in form,” he observed. “He’s world-class, his kicking game off both feet, the tries he sets up, he dictates the tempo of the game and himself and (Paddy) Jackson are playing particularly well together. He’s a a guy we obviously have to keep an eye on.”

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