Munster in better place after 'very deliberate, very precise' review session

Munster defence coach Denis Leamy said his side "got to the heart of it very quickly" following a humiliating 45-0 defeat to the Sharks on Saturday

Denis Leamy believes a a top-four URC finish and home quarter-final draw is attainable for Munster. Pic: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile

A 45-0 defeat may well lead to dressing-room angst, some hairdryer treatment and the airing of grievances yet Munster went about their business differently in the wake of their URC drubbing by the Sharks at the weekend.

A player-led team meeting in a fresh location purposely took the emotion out of a potentially raw situation midway through the province’s two-week South African tour as Clayton McMillan’s side decamped from Durban, the scene of their Round 13 demolition, and pitched up in Cape Town to address what was required for an improved performance this Saturday in Pretoria.

With the table bunching after the weekend’s results, just 11 points separate the Stormers in second and Connacht in ninth, one spot outside the top-eight playoff qualifying spots with Munster in sixth and the Bulls in eighth. At altitude in their Loftus Versfeld citadel, the Bulls present a difficult challenge at the best of times, yet Munster are one of the few teams to have left there with a victory, on their most recent visit, a 27-22, come-from-behind, bonus-point victory at the same stage of the league season in April 2024.

Man of the match that day in the South African capital was Jack Crowley and the fly-half’s arrival in camp this week alongside fellow Ireland internationals Craig Casey and Jeremy Loughman following a post-Six Nations break could be a tipping point in terms of Munster’s campaign and defence coach Denis Leamy on Monday explained their presence had already been felt, at that team meeting.

"Jack's in great form,” Leamy said. “He'd a brilliant finish to the Six Nations, he's come in with good energy, brought his voice and his knowledge.

"We're a much better group with him in it."

The defence coach continued: "In a lot of environments the general done thing is that coaches review the game, they cut clips and they come back in and they produce it in a classroom.

"We have a great opportunity because we're on tour in South Africa to do something slightly different.

"So, coaches gave out laptops to five different groups of players... you had front-rows, tight-five, back-rows, half-backs, outside backs and they all delivered content around different parts of the game.

"It was very, very interesting to hear players identify and deliver on exactly what we felt went wrong on the night. That's pleasing, everyone's on the same page.

"Good energy after the meeting, a good chat. The temptation in the old days is to make it very emotional and go after everything.

"It was very deliberate, very precise and people left the room all on the same page.

"Very exciting this morning, we'd a brilliant session on the pitch.

"Things like Saturday happen, that's the reality of the game unfortunately.

"You don't go through your career without experiencing disappointing days and that was one of them.

"We have to move on very quickly, there's another opportunity and it's one we very much look forward to."

The dialling down of emotion may seem at odds with standard rugby wisdom to reach into the heart and soul of players’ shortfalls in any given match, yet Leamy believes those days are long gone and the Sunday summit achieved its aims.

“You've got to get over yourself very quickly, there's no point in wallowing in self-pity, what went wrong and what-ifs.

"I think we got to the heart of it very quickly, we have a good understanding of what we need to improve. Players have delivered that really well, it's now about putting together a game-plan, practicing it this week, really perfecting what we want to go and do and delivering that."

Leamy’s belief remains that a top-four finish and home quarter-final draw is attainable.

"It is of course, a couple of years ago I was probably facing similar questions at this point of the season or there or thereabouts and we finished top of the table.

"It is within our reach, absolutely, it means you have to go and win every game, get bonus points along the way.

"We've done it before, doesn't mean we'll do it again but there's huge belief in this team and a lot of strong characters who've been there, bounced back."