Healy pass: Munster's Daly steers clear of old pal this week

Shane Daly, Ben Healy and Jack O’Donoghue during Munster training. Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Ask Shane Daly to discuss the threats posed by Edinburgh, Munster’s opponents this weekend, and the name Ben Healy is not long in entering the conversation.

With good reason. A strong performance from the Scotland international fly-half at Hive Stadium in the Scottish capital Friday night could seriously derail the head of steam Munster have been stoking since the turn of the year and at a crucial juncture in the journey towards the end of season play-offs.

“They’ve a very powerful pack,” Daly said of Edinburgh this week. “Their maul around the 22, they’re very dangerous so denying them access through our discipline will be a big part of the game.

“And then they have good individual threats, the likes of van der Merwe, Ben Healy’s kicking game. They are just fellas you have to respect and it’s more about us doing our own thing as a team rather than focusing too much on what they’re going to bring but we feel if we get our own stuff right then we’ll be able to handle any team.” 

That Healy, 24, was a Munster player whose last game came in the triumphant URC Grand Final win over the Stormers in Cape Town 12 months, only heightens the appreciation back of the Edinburgh playmaker in the province he left behind in search of the international recognition that took him to last autumn’s World Cup as a Scot by virtue of his grandparents’ places of birth.

Munster's Shane Daly runs in his teams seventh try against Connacht. Picture: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Former backline team-mate Daly believes Healy has become a better player in Scotland thanks to an extended run in the number 10 jersey at his new club, something impossible to attain as one of a clutch of quality fly-halves in Munster last season as he competed for game time with Joey Carbery and Jack Crowley.

If, as expected, the Tipperary-born fly-half takes the field for the first time against his native province on Friday it will be his 21st appearance of the season, surpassing his most caps in a Munster campaign, in 2020-21, with two games and the play-offs remaining.

Significantly, all have been starts, Healy missing only a Challenge Cup pool game against Clermont last December when head coach Sean Everitt rested his go-to number 10. As a Munster man, he peaked at 10 starts, in that 20-21 season when Carbery was injured for long periods and Crowley had yet to make his mark on the first XV.

“He’s getting more consistent game time, playing more regularly for them so he’s going to have a lot more confidence than he would have had here, even though he was unbelievable player for us,” Daly said.

“We had so many good 10s that he was in and out of the team but he’s playing unbelievably well and he’s obviously got a tremendous passing and kicking game that we’re going to have to respect this weekend. Yeah, he’s really steering the ship over there and it all seems to come through him so it’s been a good move for him and to see him go well in the Scottish environment as well is great. So we’re all delighted for him here.” 

The warmth of feeling for a former comrade is genuine, though it will be put on hold for 80 minutes on Friday and Daly confirmed communications between them have been paused until after hostilities have come to an end at the full-time whistle.

“Not this week! But from next week on, for sure,” the Munster wing said of contact with Healy. “I keep in touch with Ben, I would have been good friends with Ben here so it's been great to see how well he's been going over there, he's been a talisman for them. He's definitely somebody we respect and we all have a good relationship with, so I'm looking forward to playing against him and catching up with him after the game.”