GRAAN CANYON

Munster boss yet to convince he is the right man to revive Reds, he needs a big statement tonight...

JOHANN VAN GRAAN is effectively into his fourth season as the head man at Munster and we still do not know quite what to make of him.

We know he is personable, intelligent and articulate — making him a popular figure with the rugby media who have yet to subject the South African to any sustained pressure.

And we know he is committed (the essential starting point for anyone in his position), consumed by the overwhelming desire to end Munster’s near decade-long wait for a trophy.

However, we also know the doubts that surrounded his appointment as successor to Rassie Erasmus in 2017 (his youth, lack of experience as head coach and tech-centric CV) have not dissipated over the course of 73 competitive games in charge.

Van Graan’s cause has not been helped by the fractured nature of his tenure, his first season was a pick-up-the-pieces exercise after Erasmus did a runner back to South Africa and this year was ripped asunder by the pandemic.

Nonetheless, after almost three years, the head coach (who only turned 40 last March), has yet to put a proper stamp on his team beyond their general classification as a ‘not quite there’ outfit — a side capable of doing damage on their way to semi-finals before coming undone against true heavyweights.

This lack of definition extends to Munster’s style under Van Graan, which is ‘neither fish nor fowl’ — falling somewhere between traditional forward abrasiveness with a strong kicking focus and movement towards greater attacking expansion, without the nuances or skill levels shown by the likes of Leinster and the top French sides.

‘Give it time’ has been the regular refrain from the Munster camp and their boss — reflecting an overhaul of the coaching ticket that saw the acquisition of Graham Rowntree and Stephen Larkham to work with forwards and backs respectively, and then the watershed signings of South African World Cup-winners Damien de Allende and RG Snyman.

However, accepting that defence requires patience — a commodity that is wearing thin as Munster’s barren run continues amid further cementing of the dominance of their greatest rivals, Leinster. Last January, for a piece in the

Irish Mail on Sunday, sources around the Munster camp hinted at bubbling dissatisfaction within the regime (the word ‘scattered’ appearing prominently in descriptions of Van Graan’s tenure), together with disillusionment at a growing divide between the professional flagship operation and its grassroots base.

Munster’s storied successes in the 2000s were founded squarely in the productivity of its club core but the policy of pursuing Leinster’s overflow talent and South African imports alienated many at the lower, internal levels, who felt they were no longer properly represented by a ‘franchise’ dominated by ‘outsiders’ on the pitch and in the coaches’ box .

Van Graan was also accused of lacking faith in his younger homegrown players, some of whom were known to be frustrated by not receiving the exposure they had been promised.

It all added to the notion of an identity crisis in the province, with Leinster a consistent source of counter-reference.

In stark contrast to their southern rivals, Leo Cullen’s squad is overwhelmingly sourced from within — to the point of not needing to fill their permitted foreign quota — while, despite remarkable levels of competition, youngsters are consistently given a go.

If Van Graan showed similar faith in talent coming through the province, the ‘give it time’ stance would be easier to justify as well as reclaiming lost ground with Munster’s base.

It would also be a defined approach to hang his hat on, a proper policy stamp, but while there has been some exposure for local talents like Craig Casey and Shane Daly, it has not been sustained enough to be meaningful.

Instead, the Munster grassroots have looked on bemused at the recruiting of youngsters like Keynan Knox, plucked from the South African system, with Nick McCarthy, Jeremy Loughman and, most recently, Roman

Salanoa landing in via the Leinster Academy.

The day that IMoS article appeared, Munster were dumped out of the Champions Cup by a Racing 92 outfit featuring two players, Simon Zebo and Donnacha Ryan, steeped in Munster rugby culture from a young age.

And this increasingly seems like a cultural issue for Van Graan and Munster—– an identity culture, a style culture and, importantly, a winning culture that would quash all resident misgivings.

Defeat favourites Leinster in their own Dublin 4 patch tonight and Van Graan’s authority will receive an adrenaline boost.