Munster in 'nice, healthy state' as McMillan to take stock after defeat of Argentina XV

The Thomond Park boss will reflect on his first run of games in his new role.

BEST FOOT FORWARD: Munster head coach Clayton McMillan before the tour match between Munster and Argentina XV at Thomond Park. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

MUNSTER 31 ARGENTINA XV 28 

Clayton McMillan asks two things of his players when he decides they are ready to pull on a Munster jersey and he saw a new group of youngsters respond positively to those demands as they helped defeat Argentina XV to Thomond Park on Saturday night.

There were three debutants, two first-time starters and a second row embracing lineout calling as a new role among a Munster matchday 23 featuring five academy players sent out by the head coach against a powerful international touring side and they all did as requested, by getting across their detail and fronting up physically.

As McMillan sees it, the rest is now up to them to stay in the team when the URC campaign resumes with a top of the table clash against fellow unbeaten side the Stormers in Limerick on November 29. Having used 47 players across the first six games of his Munster tenure, the opening five of which were URC victories, the former Chiefs boss looked back on a successful opening block of matches with the satisfaction of having added a layer of depth to his squad ahead of the next phase of the season, a 10-game stretch encompassing the Champions Cup pool stage.

With six internationals set to return for the league’s sixth round following this month’s Quilter Nations Series of Tests, and a rash of currently sidelined players scheduled to pass fit to for selection against the Stormers, competition will be much stiffer but McMillan challenged his newly blooded squad members to also stake their claims.

“It's on the individual to put their best foot forward and … the main message that I've driven this week is ‘nail your role and physicality is non-negotiable’. If you want to be a starter at Munster then those two things, we don't even want to be questioning or talking to people about that.

“So that makes life pretty simple for them, go out there and do that and then force the question on the coaches. There's been some really good performances here tonight and we'll go away and we'll reflect on the season to date and then start with a clean slate when we come back.

“Everything is earned. What you do in the jersey gets you a few runs on the board but you treat every week in isolation and put your best foot forward every day and that's what gets you selected.” 

There were definitely strides taken by some in this five-try outing, not least the two tries which came from fly-half Tony Butler, who must now be putting some serious pressure on JJ Hanrahan to back up first-choice 10 Jack Crowley on his return from Ireland duty.

So too Evan O’Connell, leading the lineout for the first time in his first season out of the academy and marking the occasion with a steal at Argentina’s first throw and his team’s opening try of the night in front of 15,054 supporters. O’Connell’s second row partner Conor Ryan put in an 80-minute shift on debut to confirm Munster’s decision to pluck the 21-year-old from Division 1B of the AIL with UCC and put him on a development contract while academy hooker Max Clein and fellow apprentice Luke Murphy, a back-rower, came off the bench and acquitted themselves well in their first appearances.

There were some valuable contributions from older heads, Gavin Coombes and Sean O’Brien both scoring tries as Munster converted a 10-7 half-time lead into a 31-28 victory having survived a first quarter dominated by the visitors, who had opened the scoring through centre Faustino Sanchez Valarolo, one of three Test-capped Pumas in the Argentina XV.

But despite a last-minute score from full-back Tobias Wade, McMillan’s Munster rumble on unbeaten ahead of preparations for the upcoming meaty middle section of this debut campaign at the helm for the New Zealander.

“I think the balance of work that we've put in through pre-season over the last six weeks will put us in a good stead,” McMillan said. “The risk when you have a bit of a break is that people will take the foot off the pedal and relax too much and I think this group is one that will go away and take the necessary time to recharge the batteries but also stay active and come back ready to go.

“I've got no dramas about it, it's about creating a culture and an environment where I don't even have to talk about it, it's just the done thing and I'm pretty confident that we'll come back refreshed and a huge amount of enthusiasm and excitement about what's coming.

“It's a great spot to be in at this stage of the season,” he added. “Take a well-earned break as everyone is probably doing at this stage … lots to build on, lots to improve on but we're in a nice healthy state.”

MUNSTER: M Haley (B O’Connor, 26); D Kilgallen (JJ Hanrahan, 64), F Gibbons, S O’Brien, S McCarthy; T Butler, P Patterson (J O’Riordan, 59); J Wycherley (M Donnelly, 59), L Barron (M Clein, 59), R Foxe (K Ryan, 59); C Ryan, E O’Connell (F Wycherley, 68); J O’Donoghue – captain, R Quinn (L Murphy, 67), G Coombes.

Yellow card: P Patterson 49-59 

ARGENTINA A: T Wade; S Pernas, L Gea Salim (B Farise, 64), F Sánchez Valarolo, M Soler; J Hernandez, A Sugasti (E Pregot, 64); M Medrano (D Correa, 64), L Oviedo (J M Vivas, 64), F Moreno (O Filippa, 64); L Simes (J P Bernasconi, 59), F Albrisi (J P Bernasconi, 26-36 - HIA); N D'Amorim, A Bildosola, JC Perez Rachel – captain.

Replacements not used: L Colidio, A Fraga.

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)