Anthony Foley: Next steps crucial for Johnny Holland

It’s late December. Festive season, though it feels like anything but for Munster.

A season that started promisingly has been shunted off the rails by five defeats on the spin. The collateral damage is everywhere. Their European campaign is all but over, Connacht have earned a first win at Thomond Park in the pro era and Leinster have won with ease in Limerick.

Less than 24 hours after that last defeat and a faint glimmer of light emerges from Cork where out-half Johnny Holland puts a year of injury torment behind him, scoring a try, kicking well and orchestrating a win for Munster’s development side over the Ireland U20s.

It earned little enough attention at the time, but Holland’s story was elevated above the fold in all the national papers yesterday with Anthony Foley’s decision to stick with the 24-year old for today’s Guinness PRO12 meeting with Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.

Ian Keatley sits on the bench, just as he did last week when Holland was handed 73 minutes in the rout of Zebre at home. It is a huge statement of intent from Munster, who have backed Keatley for so long, given the stakes at play for their season.

Leo Cullen didn’t demur when it was suggested that this was a big call. Holland has played just seven times for Munster. This will be a third start. It bears a striking resemblance, in fact, to Paddy Jackson’s surprise elevation above Ian Humphreys for a European semi-final four years ago.

Jackson was chaperoned at the time by the wily scrum-half Ruan Pienaar. Holland will have the nous and calming influence of Conor Murray alongside him this evening – just as Jackson had when Declan Kidney gave him his Ireland debut – but this is still a leap into the unknown.

Foley was impressed with Holland’s composure against the Italians last week. He played at times with a smile on his face in what was a controlled performance in general play and one made better by some impressive work off the tee.

The Munster coach spoke too of his back story, how he had done a ‘Paul O’Connell’ injury 15 months ago in ripping three tendons off the bone when facing Nottingham in the B&I Cup at Temple Hill, and he made public the great pride everyone in the organisation took in seeing him return.

That was Zebre. This is Leinster. Away. And in front of over 40,000 people.

Any composure and smiles will be well-earned tonight and there will inevitably be those looking at Holland starting and Keatley on the bench who will ask again just why JJ Hanrahan is playing his rugby in Northampton. No pressure, like.

Holland will need to kick on, and quickly.

“There’s fellas like Rory Scannell who have beaten that path well,” said Foley on the youngster’s next step. “It’s important that we have that competition, it’s important that we get players through our academy, which is getting a lot of press at the moment.

“It’s important that these fellas come through because, ultimately, they live in and love the area. They love the jersey, they’re brought up watching it and dreaming about playing for Munster. For them to get an opportunity just lifts everyone else around them.”

Such intangibles may well help, but Leinster will be boosted far more by the return to their line-up of Jonathan Sexton after the Ireland ten’s greatly improved form during the Six Nations. That said, they were complimentary of the new guy yesterday.

Isa Nacewa, a man with a diplomat’s tongue, spoke of the need for the hosts to concentrate on their own game when asked if Leinster would put together a special welcoming committee for Holland, though he acknowledged the threat that he and Munster’s back line can offer.

“He’s a real class goal-kicker. We’ve got to worry about discipline in our area of the field. We can’t give him any easy shots. He picks the corners off really well. We have to be on our game. He’s exciting and he has the likes of Zebo, Saili, Earls out there too.

“They feed off him a lot in the short time that he has had,” Nacewa added. “Scoring 40-odd points against Zebre, that’s probably the confidence he needed coming into the game. We’re going to really have to be on our toes.”