Rúaidhrí O’Connor and Cian Tracey assess Andy Farrell’s options
DOWN on the sideline it was like something from the NFL as the two sets of subs lined up on the touchline in the snow and cheered every moment as Munster tried to find a way back against their old rivals.
Behind them in the empty stand, the neutral in attendance stood as animated as any of the participants as he appeared to live every moment. Beside him, his newest assistant cut a more detached figure as his old team came up short once again.
They may have had no skin in the game from a results perspective, but Andy Farrell and Paul O’Connell certainly had a lot to consider after sitting through a full-blooded affair.
The sight of an unhappy Johnny Sexton walking off after receiving treatment to his hamstring will have given the Ireland coach a sense of déjà vu.
Leo Cullen (pictured) described it as a precaution, but for the national coach it was a reminder that his captain is a 35-year-old with a history of soft-tissue injuries.
Cullen brought good news in the aftermath of the match.
Tadhg Furlong trained fully last week and, as such, must be a shoo-in for Six Nations selection when the squad is named today. It just remains to be seen if he’ll be allowed to get a run-out for his province against Scarlets on Saturday.
Likewise, James Lowe is nearing a return to fitness, while Johann van Graan said Peter O’Mahony should be fine after his early exit following neck and leg issues.
So, despite the fierce levels of commitment and a succession of huge collisions across 80-plus compelling minutes at Thomond Park, Farrell can turn his focus to the on-field performances.
It won’t take long before he’s calling Mike Catt to chat about Jordan Larmour and his back-three options.
With temperatures hovering
around zero and snow an intermittent guest at Thomond Park, the 23-year-old could easily have been a peripheral figure. Instead, he was the chief protagonist.
His Ireland colleague Conor Murray repeatedly exposed his aerial frailties and five times the ball came down in Larmour’s vicinity and wasn’t gathered cleanly.
Another player would be rattled by such a systems failure, but Larmour’s confidence with ball in hand remained intact. Every time he was in possession he threatened the Munster line and, when Ross Byrne’s clever chip found Hugo Keenan, he was on hand to take the full-back’s pass and jink past Keith Earls to win the game.
“You’ve got to remember that Jordan is so young as a player and he’s achieved so much already,” Cullen said.
“He’s got such a positive mindset, nothing really fazed him. If he has a bad day in some part of his game he’ll be in first thing, working away on everything.
“Players of that type of mindset will continually get better and that’s what he’s shown. It’s his second game back after 14 weeks out. He’ll get better and better. Hopefully he’s involved with Ireland in the next few weeks, we’ll see how he goes.”