With ball in hand, Munster no longer primarily focused on playing off nine

New direction has also seen change to defensive strategy, moving away from the battle of the breakdown and a multi-jackal threat, to now using line speed as the primary weapon.

Munster Attack coach Mike Prendergast

The original masterplan for the 2022-23 season never had Graham Rowntree down as head coach, but given time, his appointment could truly signal a revival in Munster’s fortunes.

Munster, under previous head coaches, Rassie Erasmus and Johann van Graan, could be best described as a tier two team, capable of winning 75% plus of their games each season but when it came to winning silverware, were consistently short of the mark. For the bean counters and executives, heroic once-off results and/or knockout rugby with a large gate receipt was enough of a pass mark to get a head coach a new contract, but in reality Munster were slipping further and further away from the top table of Irish and European rugby.

Changes to training with a greater emphasis on speed of movement, rugby fitness and the ability to play an attacking style under pressure were implemented in the summer, but such fundamental changes don’t provide overnight results. Munster won only two of their first nine matches this season as the players struggled to adapt to the new attacking and defensive frameworks introduced by Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy. The November international break gave them additional time to adapt and the South African game in Páirc Ui Chaoimh provided a springboard to kick start the season, allowing Munster to go on a run where they have won four of their last five games.

Munster have changed their defensive strategy, moving away from the battle of the breakdown and a multi-jackal threat, to now using line speed as the primary weapon. The jackal hasn’t gone away but rather than look for Tadhg Beirne or Peter O’Mahony to win the ball back on the ground Munster are now wanting to put the opposition ball carrier under pressure as they look at their defence as an additional way to win the battle for territory.

With ball in hand, Munster are no longer primarily focused on playing off nine, where the attack is driven by the scrum half, generally using one-out carriers. Prendergast’s attack is based on multi-phase play with forward pods who carry, pass, and run decoy lines to allow the play makers in the back line to release strike runners into space. The back line can often be seen stacked behind each other and then timing their sweeping arced runs to disguise the attack point to the opposition.

Early in the season unforced errors were too common as players struggled with the speed of the game Munster wished to play and they failed to fully adapt to their roles in the new systems. The breakdown in particular was a source of frustration as the new tactics demanded less players to commit to a ruck but required increased technique to ensure the quick ruck ball that the attacking frame work decrees.

There are definitely signs of improvement, such as the attack versus South Africa and Edinburgh and the second half defensive display against Northampton but we have yet to see a complete performance from Munster this season. For the rest of the campaign, Munster have to continue to work on attacking shape, upskilling the players in the intricacy of the system, the decoy running lines, the timing of the passes and the ability to keep the ball alive. They need to reduce the error count, especially the unforced errors and they have to get bulk into the pack to help deal with bigger teams.

The nature of the circumstances and timing of Rowntree’s appointment mean that he wasn’t the one making the recruitment decisions for this season’s squad. This is clearly visible in the Malaki Fekitoa situation with the high profile Tongan International being fit but currently not selected in the match day squads. Rowntree hasn’t been shy to back youth with the likes of Edwin Edogbo and Paddy Patterson grabbing their chances but he needs to address specific areas of the current squad ahead of next season with the front row a definite priority. He has to find a mobile hooker with a reliable throw and another tighthead prop to add to the depth chart with Knox and Salanoa.

Transition period and rebuilding phase are not what fans want to hear but a lack of silverware since 2011, a gap to Leinster that only continues to widen and being overtaken by Ulster shows that change had to happen. This season is likely to see further ups and downs in terms of both performances and results but Munster are on the right path, and Rowntree needs time to oversee the deconstruction of the old and build the new in order to bring Munster back to the top table.

*The author runs the @Overthehillprop website and can be found at https://overthehillprop.wixsite.com/website