Copyright echolive
Five from five for Munster, but please don’t get carried away. It is way, way too early in this new season to be thinking about champagne corks popping but the loss of players like Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray is not having as big an impact as was first thought. I would even go as far as saying that if the claims from Murray’s book are to be believed, it is best that Murray is no longer involved. I can fully understand the frustrations Murray must have been experiencing as a player with Munster over the last 10 years, but waiting until the launch of his book to air his grievances is not the Munster way. Credit must also go to Clayton McMillan and his coaches because clearly, whatever kind of environment they are trying to establish in the camp, it seems to be working a treat. Belief and resilience are very much part of McMillan’s DNA and judging by his squad’s performances to date, the gaffer seems to be transferring his principles with a high degree of success. There is much to be positive about this new season, however, Saturday night’s performance against the ever-dogged Connacht was a far cry from the fireworks that dazzled us all during the demolition of Leinster. If your plan is to be lifting silverware at the end of the season, the one trait you must have is consistency. If the truth be told, either side could have won this low quality game, but thankfully Munster’s second-half territorial dominance gave them the edge. Winning games while playing well below the standards required to win titles is not a bad thing, but as sure as night follows day there will come a time when Munster will need to piece together a string of high quality performances where, running hot one moment, and cold the next will just not be good enough. I absolutely despise singling out any one player for criticism, but if Munster think for one moment they will once again reach the summit of Everest of northern hemispheric rugby with a player like JJ Hanrahan pulling the strings in Jack Crowley’s absence, they are mistaken. A couple of weeks ago Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan promised to back his new head coach with all the necessary resources and funding for player signings. If McMillan doesn’t look to take Flanagan up on his offer and sign a quality back-up for Crowley, the solid foundations laid since the season began will crumble away just as quickly as they were poured. Many people, including myself, were a bit stunned that Hanrahan, now 33, was signed up for his third stint at the famous province and judging by his performances thus far, I would think the concerns expressed are well justified. If we look at how Crowley managed the game against Leinster when he was for long periods on the back foot due to a scrum that was locked in reverse gear and compare it to what Hanrahan produced on Saturday evening, the difference is just incredible. INSPIRATIONAL Every time Crowley took possession of the ball two weeks ago it seemed that he had all the time in the world to do what he wanted to do. His kicking was inspirational to the eight forwards he guided around the field and when he did come under pressure from Leinster’s rush defence, he miraculously found holes where gas would find hard to escape from. Hanrahan on the other hand constantly looked rushed and the accuracy he produced from his place, territorial kicking and passing game was at a level where academy players would find themselves been severely reprimanded for. If Munster could somehow swap Hanrahan for Connacht’s playmaker, Josh Ioane or a player of his ilk, Munster would be in a much better place. Of the Munster players who did impress, you would have to say that Alex Nakevell and his midfield partner Dan Kelly were solid throughout the contest. Nakevell was fully deserving of his man of the match accolade and were it not for his power and strength which led to many of Munster’s point-scoring opportunities, the men from the west could have easily been hitting the M18 back home with a bag full of points. Shane Daly was solid as normal and when Thaakir Abrahams was removed for one of the many HIAs that this game produced, Shay McCarthy slotted in seamlessly and looked very exciting when he had the ball. I was expecting a bit more from Gavin Coombes because of his exclusion from the Irish squad, but it’s starting to look like that the extra high explosive gears that are required to become a front runner with Andy Farrell are just not there. For now everything is bright and rosy in the Munster camp, but all good things must come to an end at some point and only when that happens will we see what this squad are made of.
