Donal Lenihan: Munster must turn back Thomond clock against Leinster side needing balance
Leinster Ahern Winning Of At Munster Tom Park During Moran/sportsfile 2023's Turnover Munster A Brendan Thomond Picture: Clash And Urc Celebrates Between
Whatever the shortcomings, and let’s be honest there were many on show in Belfast last Friday night, nobody can question the grit, determination and sheer desire of this group of Munster players to stay in the fight.
To leave Ravenhill with a maximum return of five points off an astonishingly low 30% possession and 24% of territory meant the festive presents were handed out a few days early. Given Ulster had international tight head prop Tom O Toole sent off on the half hour mark for a very clumsy clean out on Alex Nankivell, the expectation from that point forward was for an away win.
Let’s face it. Right now Ulster are no world beaters, even with a full complement on board. They spent the entire second half pummeling the Munster line off five metre line outs only for an incredible defensive shift from the visitors to keep them at bay for long periods.
In the end it was Munster’s ability to find and exploit space against an Ulster back line reduced to six men to facilitate O Toole’s replacement in the front row that saw them home at the death. The manner in which Munster scored four tries off such limited opportunities, with Tom Farrell and Shane Daly excelling, bought some badly needed breathing space with a result that propelled them up the URC table from 11th to 6th spot.
Given the next three fixtures are against unbeaten league leaders Leinster on Friday and at home to a rejuvenated Saracens and away to current Gallagher Premiership champions Northampton Saints across rounds three and four of Champions Cup in January, that last gasp win in Belfast was crucial.
Interim head coach Ian Costello must have grimaced a little when he saw the side Leinster started against Connacht last Saturday, the implication being that a far stronger unit was being held in reserve for Friday's contest.
Costello’s worst fears were confirmed when Cullen announced the return to arms of 10 Irish internationals, six in a totally revamped pack retaining only the starting props Jack Boyle and Rabah Slimani from the Connacht clash, for this latest Christmas head to head.
The failure of Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Jack O Donoghue to recover from their recent knocks leaves Munster short on experience while the decision to rest Jack Crowley in compliance with IRFU player management guidelines also deprives the baying Munster support the chance to get behind their man in his developing international rivalry against the fast emerging Sam Prendergast, who starts in this famed derby clash for the first time.
It seems a bit strange that a side with an unblemished record, eight from eight in the URC after accounting for Connacht last time out, not to mention a 100% return from their two Champions Cup games to date, should somehow be framed in the 'requires improvement' category.
It’s a measure of the high standards set by Leinster over the last few seasons that they are judged on a different scale to most other club sides in Europe. That’s what happens to expectation levels when you become bulk supplier to the national team.
Since the arrival of double South African World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber last season, there’s been a huge focus on the continuing development of Leinster’s all court blitz defense that proved such an influential factor under the direction of Felix Jones in those Springbok successes.
Nienaber has set his stall on a similar defensive model becoming central to delivering success to his new charges.
Whether by accident or design, Leinster’s famed attacking prowess has been nowhere near as visual or influential of late. Given the sheer depth and quality of international stars on board - think Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe, Hugo Keenan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jordan Larmour, coupled with the emergence of exciting new talent in Jamie Osborne and Prendergast across the back line - Leinster diehards feel their side should be more about scoring tries than preventing them.
If you want to win trophies you have to be equally proficient on both sides of the ball. Right now Leinster need to find a more equitable balance. Nienaber has a great appreciation of what his charges face in Thomond Park today from his time at the helm of Munster rugby alongside Rassie Erasmus.
Against Connacht last time out, Leinster dug further into their depth chart with Alex Soroka becoming the 49th player to see game time in the URC across the opening eight rounds of action. To date, regardless of the personnel selected, Leinster have delivered despite an ailing line out, a stuttering attack and a poor disciplinary record. Some day soon those deficiencies will catch up with them.
It’s just about the only constant in Munster rugby these days, the sold out sign that accompanies the annual festive derby against the arch enemy at Thomond Park. Whether we like it or not, it’s clear that opponents travelling to Limerick these days find the venue far less intimidating than in the heady days of yore.
Whether it’s the plethora of empty seats visible from all vantage points, even on big Champions Cup pool days, or the lack of a sustained atmosphere, opposing teams look far more comfortable on the hallowed turf than ever before. Witness the failure to win any of their European pool games against Bayonne and Northampton last season. At least that trend was addressed with the victory over an under strength Stade Francais side a few weeks ago.
The one exception is this festive clash which, given the timing and demand, necessitates the addition of extra seating on the terraces behind both in goal areas. Munster’s bravery and resilience in Belfast deserves to be recognised and supported this time out, especially given the disastrous injury profile that continues to haunt the squad.
Since the last home game against Stade Francais, Munster have lost three of their most influential backs in scrum half Craig Casey, new signing Thaakir Abrahams and the outstanding Alex Nankivell. In addition, it’s also been confirmed that second row Jean Kleyn has suffered another injury setback in training ruling him out for another prolonged period.
Right now the interim coaching group can’t buy a break on that front. It’s crucial however that they remain positive and continue to galvanise the squad to achieve results like the one produced against Ulster last time out.
The key element in that uplifting performance was a probable URC record of 311 tackles made, a significant number of those within metres of their own line. Defence coach Denis Leamy will be thrilled by that effort while the ability to register four tries off such limited possession will also have attack coach Mike Prendergast purring.
Whether Munster will be able to replicate that level of scoring proficiency against an immensely stronger and vastly more experienced Leinster defensive combination today is highly unlikely. To reach those heights again will require every Munster fan in the capacity 26,267 crowd to get behind the team from the outset and turn the clock back to a time when even vastly superior opponents found the entire Thomond experience too hot to handle.
To win today, Munster will need to squeeze every last ounce out of home advantage. Even then, it mightn’t be enough to suppress a force that, despite performing short of their best, are still proving increasingly difficult to overcome.