RYAN’S ‘INSIDE’ INFORMATION IS A CONCERN, SAYS HOLLAND
THE substantial shadow of Donnacha Ryan has fallen across Munster preparations this week. The Tipperary man left the province at the end of last season to join Racing 92, sacrificing a distinguished Test career for a twoyear contract in France on a salary Munster could not match. Over a decade’s grizzled service to Munster meant he left Thomond Park buffeted by good wishes. The pool draw for this season’s European Cup ensured a quick reunion between Ryan and his home province. He missed the first match through injury, but was magnificent in Paris when Racing triumphed in January. Billy Holland is aware of the risk Ryan poses to Munster in Bordeaux on Sunday. ‘Donnacha knows our line-out system as well as I know it,’ says Holland. ‘It’s been around for a few years and he knows how it works, but you can’t change things for one game. We’ve had it for years. We make subtle little changes maybe, but you can’t go around re-inventing the wheel. ‘If you do, I’m confusing myself along with the other seven forwards out there. So you’ve just got to back what you’ve done in your line-outs so far. Does he have an advantage, and does Racing have an advantage in comparison to other teams? Yes they do. ‘They’ve a perfect insight into what we do.’ Facing Ryan last January was strange for Holland, and it will be odd for both men, longtime team-mates, when the battle is joined on Sunday. From Holland’s view, the challenge is heightened by the sheer hardness of Ryan. ‘He’s tough. Everyone knows what Donnacha is like. In the 75th minute he comes out of nowhere and steals a restart. He doesn’t give up. I think he’s brought an added level of doggedness to Racing. ‘Myself and Pete [O’Mahony] and a few of the lads would be very good friends with Donnacha and there was so much respect there,’ he recalls of their previous meeting. ‘There was no having a go off each other. We didn’t even look at each other during the game. We respect each other too much, and he came into the dressingroom afterwards and we shared a beer, and hopefully we’ll be doing the same this weekend with the result the opposite way around.’