Honeymoon’s over, now we need the Van Graan plan...
SO MUCH for the Munster honeymoon. It seemed Johann van Graan appeared could do no wrong in his early winter weeks as Rassie Erasmus’ successor. Four wins, three with bonus points, a run capped by that belter European triumph at Leicester. Sweet.
His holiday period hasn’t been as celebratory, though. Two defeats and the potential for a third on the bounce in the space of 12 days illustrates how quickly results patterns change in rugby.
It would be a serious blow for his fledgling reign if the home derby with Connacht is lost.
Not since December 2015 has the province lost three in a row and the last thing they need heading into their French doubleheader in Europe is a losing streak gnawing at confidence.
Munster may enjoy the same unbeaten status as Leinster in Champions Cup, but their round five assignments next weekend are night and day — Leinster odds on to clinch quarter-final progress at home to already-eliminated Glasgow, in contrast to Munster having to go away to top-spot rivals Racing.
With the pressure on, it’s time for the still unproven Van Graan to wield some steel and see through this sticky period.
Recent derby results aside, the South African has generally made a good first impression these past seven weeks in Ireland.
Not since 2002, when he took on his old schools’ team in Pretoria, had the 37-year-old rookie been a head coach, but he has winged it well so far at Munster.
It helps that he is a talker, generally forthright in his views on the game, usually when he has had the opportunity to review the action on video. It’s a second-look requirement that is a curiosity.
For instance, asked in Belfast how a penalty count that was 3-9 against Ulster at the interval could so viciously swing around in the second half, he was at a loss. ‘I can’t really explain it at this stage. I have to go and review it,’ he said, leaving you wondering how impulsive an operator is he reacting to the flow of a game as issues unfold and decisions need to be taken.
Having worked for years on the Springboks’ back room staff, adapting to life in a front of house role with his neck on the chopping block can’t be easy, but the vibe from the inner sanctum at Munster is that his arrival has been welcome, his arm-around-the-shoulder approach in his dealings with players very much appreciated.
Look how he handled the distraction of the IRFU contract speculation surrounding Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander.
It could have easily become a negative in and around those back-to-back European meetings with Leicester, but this topic was managed in an understated way which ensured the focus remain on the matches.
Now, though, comes his biggest test so far, seeing Munster safely through their next three engagements and ensuring their double-D problem doesn’t harm them. Defence, in recent weeks, and discipline, all season, have been major issues hampering them.
Take their rear-guard. Just two tries were scored by Leicester over the course of 160 minutes in Europe, Andy Farrell’s temporary work with the club helping ensure Munster were on their toes.
However, this security has been dented since JP Ferreira flew in from South Africa to succeed Jacques Nienaber, the defence specialist who headed home with Erasmus. Eight tries were conceded in two lost derby games, bonus point tries surrendered to both Leinster and Ulster.
It’s sloppiness not usually associated with Munster.
More characteristic, though, but just as much an issue that requires fixing, is the propensity to give away penalties.
In the lead-up to that away game at Leicester, it was highlighted in these pages how Munster had been riding their luck. In six of eight previous outings, they had come out the wrong side of the penalty count and were the third most indisciplined Champions Cup side out of the 20 participants.
Van Graan didn’t necessarily see it as a massive problem when quizzed in mid-December, Munster tending to cough up most infringements in short spasms in a match rather than being naughty across a whole 80 minutes.
However, with Munster collecting one red card and six yellows during his six-game reign, the South African now accepts the card trouble their indiscipline is causing needs rectifying.
‘We have got to change the spiral pretty quickly,’ he admitted after the defeat to Ulster.
‘You can’t have an excuses mentality as part of your game.’
With the honeymoon over, the previously softly-softly Van Graan sounds as if he is about to crack the whip to get Munster back to winning ways.