Clayton McMillan backs Evan O'Connell's Munster leadership potential

The Munster head coach said it's unfair to compare Munster's current crop with "generational, iconic" leaders of the past like Paul O'Connell and Peter O'Mahony

Munster head coach Clayton McMillan said Evan O'Connell "would be one of those young guys that's an emerging player with leadership ability". Pic: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Evan O’Connell is set to touch down in Pretoria on Wednesday determined this Saturday’s meeting with the Bulls will not be a wasted trip but the start of Munster’s URC play-off journey.

The 22-year-old lock departed with Clayton McMillan’s squad on Tuesday, bound for South Africa and potentially his first knockout game as a professional when Munster take on the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in the URC quarter-finals. If the head coach maintains his approach that good performances deserve to be rewarded, then O’Connell’s start against the Lions on May 16 in the final round of the regular season should see him named in the matchday 23 on Thursday.

McMillan has no doubt about O’Connell’s leadership potential, a point underlined by the second row’s refusal to accept that the pressure has eased on this Munster squad having reached the play-offs and qualified for next season’s Champions Cup with that 24-17 Thomond Park win over the Lions.

“No, not at all. We pride ourselves on being a Champions Cup team and being a team that gets into knockout rounds but we can't be happy to just be here,” O’Connell said as Munster wrapped up preparations on home soil in Limerick on Monday.

“We can't be happy to get to a quarter-final and get knocked out. We have to keep pushing. We have to push for a semi-final, final. We have to be confident that we can do that.

“Otherwise, what's the point in going down to South Africa and playing the quarter-final?"

For a team that has been criticised at times for lacking leadership during an up and down season, the comments of the second row with just 11 senior caps to his name suggest otherwise. McMillan concurs, and the head coach believes there have been unnecessary comparisons of his squad with iconic players of the past, including O’Connell’s uncle and former captain Paul.

“I think it's unfair to compare what we currently have to what the team has probably had in the past,” McMillan said. “Right now we don't necessarily have a Peter O'Mahony or we don't have a Paul O'Connell.

“We're talking about generational, iconic Munster players who were probably born with natural leadership ability and even they would probably say that they learnt from some legends themselves that helped them become the leaders that they were and this is a team who last year lost, I would say nearly 1,000 rugby caps when you lost Peter, Conor Murray, the others.

“You just don't replace that overnight. Anybody who thinks that you can has never lived in a high-performance rugby environment but there are good people here with the potential to be outstanding leaders, to leave their own deep footprint in time but leadership, you're not just given a title and all of a sudden you're a good leader. You've got to learn and grow your craft around that space.

“I think we've got some outstanding men in our senior leadership group and I think we've got some outstanding men who will be great leaders of this team coming through our academy group. It's just understanding that it's not just about the (captaincy) title, it's about service. I think leadership is ultimately about service and we've got plenty of people that are prepared to put their head up.” 

Munster's Evan O'Connell comes up against PJ Botha of the Lions. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Clohessy

McMillan had no hesitancy including Evan O'Connell as one of those leaders of the future, “100%”.

“He's captained the A-side when they've played. He's had leadership roles growing up and coming through various age groups and he would be one of those young guys that's an emerging player with leadership ability but right now for him it's around building his craft, prioritising the rugby part because the leadership part will come later but he's getting his body to a point where he can deal with the week-to-week rigours of playing in a demanding physical position.

“He's an intelligent guy who understands the game, he's a student of the game, he can call a line out, he's got a good awareness, he's intelligent. His opportunities to come, leadership, he's already demonstrated that in different forums. He'll no doubt continue to emerge as one of those leaders moving forward but at his age and stage I would just get him to focus purely on being the best rugby player that he can be.

“He's one of those guys that did a great job against the Lions and I've always been somebody who will reward performance so there's every opportunity we'll see him go out and take another step forward in his rugby journey on the weekend.” 

The young lock, who assumed lineout calling duties from Tom Ahern towards the tail end of that all-important Lions victory appears to be in the mood to take his chance having made his first appearance after more than three months sidelined by injury. Having drafted into the starting line-up after Fineen Wycherley was a late withdrawal due to a knock, O’Connell’s comeback performance was kick-started with a sixth-minute try.

“I was just delighted to get in there again,” he said. “I'll never be one to pat myself on the back. I'll be my own worst critic. So, yeah, I was happy enough to do a few things I was happy with, but obviously other things I can definitely work on.

“I suppose when you get an opportunity where initially I was on the bench and then unfortunately Fineen got injured, so I got a chance to start. It's just when you get those opportunities, you probably have to go out and take them. You can't be a passenger there.”