Munster need to learn from past mistakes to overcome Leinster, says Craig Casey

When Munster get chances, they have to take them, the scrum half insists. 

LEARN FROM MISTAKES: Craig Casey and Diarmuid Barron arrive for training this week. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Craig Casey understands what it will take to claim a first Thomond Park win over Leinster in five years this St Stephen’s Day and he knows it will involve learning some valuable lessons from last Sunday’s Champions Cup defeat at Exeter Chiefs.

The Ireland scrum-half played a part in some of Munster’s most fluent and exciting attacking play at Sandy Park as the URC champions sucked in and then stretched Exeter’s defence to breaking point over the first 50 minutes of their Pool 3 encounter last weekend. Yet 50 minutes of excellent play was not nearly enough to keep a quality Chiefs side at bay and Casey acknowledges the same will not be sufficient to prevent a clinical, in-form Leinster outfit out in Limerick next Tuesday.

Casey, 24, was still four months away from his senior Munster debut when his province last exploited home advantage over their oldest rivals in his hometown with a 26-17 victory on December 29, 2018 and has only suffered frustration as a player in the four subsequent league meetings at Thomond Park, most recently a one-point URC defeat 12 months ago.

“Yeah they have been close and it’s been frustrating in Thomond Park,” he said, looking forward to potentially his first start in this fixture next week. I think keep playing our game. We’ve shown over the last few games against Leinster we can go toe to toe with them.

“They won the last game, we won the game before that so keeping our game and keep backing ourselves. The last game against them, we were fairly close in the Aviva, probably didn’t take a few chances, probably gave them a few chances they were clinical in and that’s what Leinster do, they’re very clinical.

“So when our chances arise, having the balls to take those chances, going for it, being clinical with them and then not giving them the access we gave them in the Aviva.” 

Reviewing last Sunday’s game at Exeter revealed some similar faultlines to last month’s 21-16 Dublin loss and of last weekend, Casey said: "We played some really good rugby, the first 40 minutes was unbelievable, probably the best we've had all season, really. The Glasgow game was pretty good attack-wise but I think what we implemented during the week last week and then to build it on the pitch, everything we talked about, was first class.

"Obviously we left a few opportunities out there but in the first half we were fairly clinical, and then you saw in the second half when we got the try it probably came from the kicking game against each other and then we took our opportunity, we went the length of the field.

"It's probably about staying in those battles, to be honest. Obviously they were two absolutely freak tries that they got, especially the Calvin one, with the way the ball bounced a few times. That's probably never, ever going to happen again, that's a freak try.

"There's stuff that we have control of, definitely our kicking game and how we managed that game in the second half against a fairly strong wind in Sandy Park, it's about picking up those scraps in those kicking battles that the ball isn't going the full length, which is what Exeter were trying to achieve, that it's going into the half field and we're trying to gather those balls.

"They're big moments that you don't think of in the grand scheme of the game but yeah, they are big moments that swing momentum and Exeter took advantage of the momentum that they had.” 

What gives Munster supporters and players alike confidence that a home victory over Leinster is just around the corner is the evidence of their own eyes in last season’s URC semi-final victory over Leo Cullen’s men at the Aviva Stadium.

“Well I think there’s major belief in the group now in what we’re doing and obviously we’ve shown in that game that we can beat Leinster, that we have the bottle to beat Leinster,” Casey said.

“They are always tight games against them. I mean, they’re a world-class side, they’ve got world-class players so you’ve kind of just got to back yourself and play your own game, put your stamp on it and keep going until the 80th, 82nd minute because that’s what it takes to beat Leinster I think.

“You can never just have a good half against them. You have to go 80 minutes because they’re a world-class team and you’ve got to put your stamp on it.” 

Casey feels he has taken his game to another level following his four-month stint with the Ireland World Cup squad and he agreed there would be no better place to show it than at Thomond Park against Munster’s fiercest rivals this St Stephen’s night.

“The big games is where you have to perform if you want to be pushing on so I think there’s no bigger game than Leinster, Stephen’s Day, to put your hand up for (Ireland) selection and keep pushing my hand up for Munster as well.

“That’s probably the first goal, try and be the number nine for Munster and that’s all I’m concentrating on at the minute.”