Casey backs 'steady head' O'Shea for Munster's Champions Cup opener
Craig Casey on Charlie O'Shea: 'You saw how much he stepped up during the U20s World Cup. I think he was very, very impressive over there.' Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie
It will not be close to a sell-out at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh when Munster open their European campaign against Racing 92 on Saturday night but the 25,000 expected in Cork will witness the latest steps in Charlie O’Shea’s meteoric rise up the fly-half pecking order.
A start on the 20-year-old’s Champions Cup debut awaits the Corkman, who has taken to senior professional rugby with considerable ease following his rapid promotion in the wake of an injury crisis within the province at number 10. A competitive debut off the bench in the URC round one defeat to Glasgow Warriors was O’Shea’s reward for a confident, try-scoring run in pre-season against Leicester Tigers and that was followed by a first start seven days later as the first-year academy playmaker dazzled in the victory over Bulls with two tries and a kicked assist that helped earn the player of the match award.
Now comes the next rung in his development, a start in Europe as Munster welcome familiar foes from France. While the province on Friday felt it had to defend itself against criticism led by columnist Ronan O’Gara over staging the fixture away from Thomond Park on the 10-year anniversary of his former team-mate and captain Anthony Foley’s death, his successor in the Munster driving seat was finalising preparations for his big night, with the backing of senior half-back partner Craig Casey.
O’Gara had used his column on Friday to call the province’s choice of Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the pool game against Racing 92 as an “own goal” and “a classic case of Munster Rugby not helping themselves”, stating categorically: “The game should be in Thomond Park all day long. All night long too for that matter. Axel is Shannon, Limerick, Thomond Park, the embodiment of all three great institutions. If this sounds strange coming from a Cork man it’s because, in this instance, it’s coming from a Munster man.”
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O’Gara may have inadvertently taken the focus, and pressure, away from O’Shea in the process although Casey believes the Ireland Under-20 fly-half can handle pretty much anything that comes his way.
“He's been great,” the scrum-half said this week. “You saw how much he stepped up during the U20s World Cup. I think he was very, very impressive over there and he had only a two-and-a-bit-week break because we had the ‘10’ situation and he came back and he was training the house down in pre-season, like really exciting things.
“Things that aren't always eye-catching. You're looking for steadiness as a ‘10’ and the basics of the game and he has that in abundance, with the extra spark of brilliance which he showed there two weeks ago.
“But since he's come in, he's been class. There's been a lot of young fellas that are putting their hands up. It's been great to see. Like I said, he's a steady head. It's nice to play inside a young fella that has a steady head.”
Regardless of the venue, head coach Clayton McMillan underlined the importance of honouring his predecessor’s memory to his side’s performance against Racing, echoing similar statements made earlier in the week by his assistant and former Foley pack -mate Denis Leamy and also Casey.
“The players are determined to put in a performance that Axel Foley would be proud of,” McMillan said. “He is spoken about every day in our building and we are thinking of him and his family more than ever this week, 10 years on from his shock passing.
“While it will be an emotional day, the players know that the best way to honour his incredible legacy is to play the game with the right mentality and produce a committed team performance that shows how much they care for the jersey and the province.”
McMillan has also handed academy graduate flanker Seán Edogbo a start on his European debut alongside O’Shea.
They are two of six changes to the starting line-up from last Saturday’s URC draw at Ulster while Munster are honouring Axel’s memory by retiring the number 8 jersey he wore with distinction for the occasion, with Brian Gleeson instead wearing the number 24, one of a series of special tributes and commemorative activities planned for the Munster legend.
Munster are expecting to face a dynamic, powerhouse Racing team, although head coach Patrice Collazo is without some big guns, with leading scrum-half Leo Carbonneau injured while Fijian backline bulldozers Selestino Ravutaumada and Josua Tuisova and world-class prop Taniela Tupou are also absent.
Threats remain aplenty. There is another Fijian monster at centre in Vinaya Habosi and Collazo has selected Tongan Sione Finau-Tupou, 17, on the left wing with academy number nine Antoine Latrasse at scrum-half, backed by veteran Maxime Machenaud on the bench.
Casey is still expecting fireworks.
“They've got a lot of power as they always do. They've got a lot of Fijians in their squad and they'll play off the cuff, there’ll be offloads, there'll be a power game, there'll be a maul and they'll try take you up on the fringes and then they'll spread the ball wide with their profile players.
“So, it's about being on our game and knowing our job and doing our job well I think has probably been the theme of the week and not getting too overawed with what they'll have, stick to our systems and seeing where that can take us.”
Ben O’Connor; Shay McCarthy, Alex Nankivell, Dan Kelly, Seán O’Brien; Charlie O’Shea, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Marnus van der Merwe, Jack Aungier; Tom Ahern, Tadhg Beirne - captain; Seán Edogbo, John Hodnett, Brian Gleeson.
Max Clein, Josh Wycherley, Kieran Brookes, Fineen Wycherley, Gavin Coombes, Ben O’Donovan, JJ Hanrahan, Jack O’Donoghue.
Geronimo Prisciantelli; Wilfried Hulleu, Vinaya Habosi, Joseph Manu, Sione Tupou; Antoine Gibert, Antoine Latrasse; Eduoard Jabea Njocke, Diego Escobar, Gia Kharaishvili; Thomas Lainault, Jordan Joseph, Lakima Tagitagivalu, Nicolas Martins, Maxime Baudonne – captain.
Yanis Basse, Lehopa Leota, Demba Bamba, Nathan Hughes, Soumaila Camara, Maxime Machenaud, Sam James, Arthur Roche
Karl Dickson (England)
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