Class-act Conway can get back to best after injury lay-off, insists Lawler

LONG-AWAITED RETURN: Munster’s Andrew Conway scores a try. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Munster skills coach Mossy Lawler has full faith that Andrew Conway can recapture his best form after returning from 16 months on the sidelines.

The winger’s try-scoring reappearance against the Sharks, marking his long-awaited 150th game in red with a 50th try, excited fans coming as it did on the coattails of Keith Earls’ retirement announcement.

The starting Irish no. 14 for the 2022 Six Nations, he missed the entirety of last season due to a pair of knee surgeries and the World Cup arrived too soon in his rehabilitation. The uphill race against time to make the trip to France, however, has left him in a strong position for the year ahead.

“Andrew is a class act,” said Lawler. 

“For someone that has been out for so long and to come back the way he has in pre-season, the resilience he has shown, the mental attitude he's shown to get himself back to where he wants to go, a player like that will always have massive high levels in what they want to achieve individually.

“I have no doubt he will get back to where he wants to be.” 

Lawler returned to his home province this summer as skills coach, 15 years on from his departure as a player. While the new season has only just begun, he has more than four months' work put down already.

“It's been great,” he said. “We're 18 weeks in, the boys came back early. Senior players and coaching staff have been really receptive, really welcoming, and I've thoroughly enjoyed my start to the year.

“It's a bit of everything really. Simply put, I'm a resource coach for the individuals but I'm also a resource coach for the coaches themselves.

“Ultimately, my job is to help get the players better in line with what the coaches want to achieve on the pitch. There hasn't been much change. What we're trying to achieve this year is just to do things a little bit better.” 

He spent eight years at Connacht, where he was promoted to the role of attack and skills coach. The similar approach to the game across the two provinces has eased Lawler’s transition.

“The way Connacht played was right up my street in relation to the philosophy I have and I know Mikey (Prendergast) has a very similar philosophy here.

“The two of us work hand in hand and our thought processes are on the same lines in relation to what we want our attackers to do, what we want our receivers to do, what way we want to run our lines, so it's been a really easy transition for me to come in here and work with a guy like Mike.” 

The 34-21 bonus-point victory over the Sharks at Thomond Park got Munster’s URC title defence off to an ideal start and leaves them in a strong position heading on the road to Benetton this Sunday.

“For the start of the season, it was a really good hit-out,” began Lawler in his bullet-point summary. “A great win, five points, six Academy players on the pitch, a big night for Andrew Conway as well.

“At the start of the game, we would have taken the win against a really physical Sharks side and I think they'll do damage over the next couple of weeks. But to take a bonus point out of it was huge and gave us a great start to the year.

“We reviewed hard today because we do want to be better than we were last year so we cut it to pieces but on a whole, it was a very positive start to where we want to go to.”