Friend’s men on fire but Leinster wobbling
NOW it’s time to get down to the real business. A mixed weekend for the provinces on the domestic front finished with the confirmation that all four Irish teams are booked in for the Pro14 play-offs.
In Connacht and Ulster’s case, it has been some recovery. Connacht finished second from bottom in Conference A last season, propped up by a dreadful Zebre side.
They parted ways with head coach Kieran Keane soon after that. Less than 12 months into a three-year deal, the Kiwi was handed his P45. Ulster were in an even bigger mess up north.
Jono Gibbes had barely got his feet under the desk at Ravenhill when he announced he would be heading for the exit door. The province’s problems, on and off the pitch, have been well-documented at this stage.
Taking all of that into account, Andy Friend and Dan McFarland deserve huge praise for the work they have done in rebuilding Connacht and Ulster this season.
Both camps can enjoy a wellearned weekend off now that they have completed phase one of their recovery this term.
It’s business time for Munster and Leinster, however.
Season-defining European semifinal meetings against Saracens and Toulouse loom on the horizon. There was a stunned silence at the final whistle at the RDS on Saturday afternoon.
Leinster don’t lost at home every often. In fact, this was their first home defeat of the season.
They lost a frantic contest 39-24 to a rampant Glasgow outfit who arrived fully-loaded in a bid to secure a coveted home semi-final at their Scotstoun fortress.
Fans leaving the ground on Saturday were audibly concerned with Leinster’s efforts in recent weeks. They head for Sunday’s clash with Toulouse having failed to win since their quarter-final triumph over Ulster.
Will Leo Cullen, Stuart Lancaster and the rest of the Leinster brains trust be concerned? Unlikely.
For one thing, they’ve had the Pro14 in their back pockets for quite some time and Cullen will have filed that Glasgow encounter in the ‘experimental’ section of his grand plan.
It’s also worth remembering that Leinster lost at home to Treviso last season, a week before they demolished the Scarlets at Lansdowne Road to seal their place in the European Champions Cup final in Bilbao.
Cullen rested a host of key personnel last weekend.
On top of his inexhaustible efforts for Ireland in November and the Six Nations, James Ryan has played 12 games for Leinster this term, totalling 857 minutes of action. That might not seem like a heavy workload when you compare to locks plying their trade in England and France. The likes of Maro Itoje have accrued almost double that this season. That’s the key advantage that Ireland’s provincial system provides at this time of the year. They can ensure that their key men are primed for Europe. Resting frontliners was just one part of the plan last Saturday, getting Devin Toner and Robbie Henshaw up to speed was top of the agenda. They both looked sharp having returned from three-month injury layoffs. Leinster’s set-piece and physical presence in midfield should rapidly improve with those two back on board.
Amidst all the chaos, there were signs that Sean O’Brien is slowly moving back up through the gears.
Injury and form issues have hindered his progress this season, but it would be typical of the Tullow flanker, if he fired on all cylinders at the business end of the season.
Keeping a low profile in the stands at the RDS were Ireland coach Joe Schmidt and elite performance head, David Nucifora.
Looking ahead to Japan, they would have been quietly reassured by the displays of Toner, Henshaw and O’Brien.
Leinster will need all three on top form against Toulouse.
Ditto Ireland in Japan later this year.
Meanwhile, Munster have been building nicely towards Saracens in recent weeks. Johann van Graan’s decision to send a callow squad to Treviso last Friday night
was seen as a risk by many. Mike Haley and Jack O’Donoghue looked to be the only players on the teamsheet who stood a realistic chance of featuring against the Premiership giants in Coventry next Saturday, but a youthful Munster side got the job done, and in some style, in Italy.
The Stadio Monigo is not an easy place to get a result these days. Getting a result against Saracens is an ever rarer feat. Mark McCall’s side have been the standard-bearers for English club rugby in Europe for some time.
Leinster derailed their bid for a treble of European titles last season, but Saracens are looking ominously good again this term.
Their pack containing Jamie George, the Vunipola brothers, Maro Itoje and George Kruis is arguably the most fearsome in Europe, augmented by the kicking game of Richard Wigglesworth and Owen Farrell at half-back. They are a notoriously difficult team to break down. Munster will need their best performance of the season to stand any chance and it looks like they will have to do it without Joey Carbery, who is out of action with a hamstring issue, again. Luckily, Tyler Bleyendaal has been looking more like his old self in recent weeks. Breaking that glass ceiling of a European semi-final has haunted Munster for over a decade. This will be their seventh appearance in the last four after six failed attempt to reach the finale. Get past the Londoners and they could face Leinster at St James’ Park in Newcastle next month. Time to get to work.