OPERATION REDEMPTION
The return of the Champions Cup this week is a good way to begin the healing process after Ireland’s latest World Cup flop but only Leinster look well placed to go deep in Europe
AMID all the Saracens salary cap furore this week, it may have been lost on many that the European Champions Cup kicks off next Friday. Heck, even the tournament launch in Cardiff on Wednesday was overshadowed by the no-show from Sarries head coach Mark McCall and his skipper Brad Barritt.
Ironically, there were very few questions about this forthcoming European campaign put to the coaches and captains that did turn up. The likes of Johnny Sexton were still being grilled about the fallout from Ireland’s World Cup failure in Japan last month.
Across the room, Harlequins captain Chris Robshaw, who captained England at the 2015 World Cup (another shambles), was tearing into Saracens, stating that the salary cap breaches had put rugby ‘in a dangerous place’.
A quick scan of the venue – where a plethora of broadcasters and reporters were conducting interviews – revealed little discourse about the actual competition itself.
Saracens and the World Cup dominated the agenda and, if it wasn’t for the tournament paraphernalia, you would have struggled to guess it was a European launch – safe to say this season’s European campaign has arrived under the radar.
Still, despite Ireland’s latest failure on the world stage and the grim state of affairs in the English club game across the water, there is plenty to get excited about from an Irish perspective. All four provinces are back in the big time this season with Connacht making a welcome return under Andy Friend.
The big question is whether those who returned from Japan will be able to shake off the hangover of a World Cup project that began way back in June.
Spending the best part of five months under Joe Schmidt must have been an intense experience. How much do the likes of Sexton, Peter O’Mahony and Iain Henderson have left in the tank ahead of this marathon season, which will stretch into June of next year?
The hope is we don’t get the worrying malaise that spread through the provinces after the traumatic events of the 2015 World Cup as Leinster, Munster and Ulster all failed to quality for the knockout stages in Europe.
It’s a daunting omen but it’s worth remembering that the old Heineken Cup served as a tonic to the World Cup blues in previous years.
Lest we forget, Declan Kidney’s Munster stormed to their second European triumph in 2008, the season after that World Cup debacle in France.
Leinster repeated the trick four years later when Joe Schmidt guided them to a second successive title with a 42-14 demolition of Ulster in an all-Irish final at Twickenham, eight months after Ireland were dumped out of the 2011 World Cup by Wales.
It will be fascinating to see how Ireland’s frontliners react this time around.
A host of them were plunged into interprovincial action this weekend and the vast majority will be back in action next weekend for the opening round of the European Champions Cup.
There will be little time to ruminate on Ireland’s latest World Cup failure in the Far East and perhaps that is for the best.
PROSPECTS: Champions in 2018, beaten finalists in 2019, Leinster have returned to the European heavyweight division in recent seasons. Under the calm watch of Leo Cullen (below) and Stuart Lancaster — who has quietly revolutionised the province’s attack — this squad have the talent and strength and depth to rival the Schmidt era, when the province claimed back-to-back Heineken Cup titles in 2011 and 2012, playing an exhilarating brand of rugby. Cullen has welcomed back 14 players from World Cup duty and, as ever, he can tap into a seemingly endless line of young talent pouring out of their academy system.
Lancaster has preached the mantra of being ‘comfortable in chaos’ and Leinster certainly looked that way for most of last season, so much so that there has been speculation that it led to a clash of ideologies with Schmidt — who had a far more stringent and pragmatic approach — when those same players went into Ireland camp.
A dream of a European brace was crushed by the Sarries juggernaut last May, a result that surely infuriated Leinster in the wake of the salary cap revelations.
It was a day when brute force overpowered flair and pace. But Leinster will seek to take their running game to another level this term. When you have players like James Lowe, Jordan Larmour and Garry Ringrose out wide and skilful forwards like Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan at your disposal, that is the only way to play.
Their pool is far from straightforward, however, with Treviso, Northampton and Lyon for company.
The Italians are no longer the pushovers of old while Northampton have made a storming start to the English season and big-spending Lyon are currently top of the standings in the Top 14.
KEY QUESTION: Can Leinster cope without the dynamism of Dan Leavy, Jack Conan and Sean Cronin?
Leavy is unlikely to play any rugby this season while Conan will be out for the foreseeable future. Ditto, Cronin. Progessing nicely, there is a big chance here for youngsters Ronan Kelleher and Max Deegan. ONE TO WATCH: Ronan Kelleher.
UNDER PRESSURE: Joe Tomane. PREDICTION: Finalists.
PROSPECTS: There was widespread despair down Munster way when the draw for the tournament was made. Pool 4 has been christened the ‘Pool of Death’ and with good reason. Munster, looking to break the glass ceiling of a European semi-final, having fallen at that fence on their last seven attempts, were pitted in a pool with reigning champions Saracens, French heavyweights Racing 92 and the underachieving, but always dangerous, Ospreys.
Recent events have softened that blow, however. It remains to be seen what effect this salary cap fiasco will have on Mark McCall’s star-studded Saracens side, while Racing 92 have had a dreadful start to the season and are wallowing in relegation territory at the bottom of the Top 14 table after nine rounds. The Ospreys have been, well, playing like the Ospreys.
If Munster get out of this group, or manage to top it and secure a home quarter-final at fortress Thomond, they will need to go up a few gears on recent campaigns.
Step forward, Stephen Larkham. Munster’s new attack coach arrived in the summer with a big reputation and the hope is the former Wallabies out-half can add a new dimension to a seemingly one-dimensional approach. You’d imagine Joey Carbery would have been central to Larkham’s plans, but, worryingly, it appears the outhalf is facing another long spell on the sidelines with a troublesome ankle injury. The fire and fury, spearheaded by a fearsome pack of forwards, has always been Munster’s USP but a lack of ideas in attack has cost them on the big days in recent years. There have been early signs of an attacking evolution in the opening weeks of the season. Munster will not be able to bully the likes of Saracens and Racing, so a new blueprint will
be needed in the coming months.
They need their captain Peter O’Mahony (above) firing on all cylinders again after a quiet year while the likes of Dave Kilcoyne, Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Conway will want to prove a point after their fringe involvements in Japan.
KEY QUESTION: Can JJ Hanrahan or Tyler Bleyendaal step up and steer the ship in Joey Carbery’s injury-enforced absence? The Kerryman and the Kiwi both saw plenty of action last season when Carbery had hamstring and knee issues but neither has convinced as a frontline playmaker.
ONE TO WATCH: Fineen Wycherley.
UNDER PRESSURE: Tyler Bleyendaal. PREDICTION: Pool Stages. PROSPECTS: This is going to be fun.
Connacht have been a joy to watch since Andy Friend succeeded Kieran Keane as head coach last term. Innovative and approachable, Friend has brought the verve and excitement back to Connacht after a troubling year under Keane’s watch.
The touchline-to-touchline, allattacking approach that was engineered under Pat Lam was restored to Connacht’s ranks with the likes of Tom Farrell, Matt Healy and Tiernan O’Halloran thriving in Friend’s attacking system.
Friend has had something of a mini-injury crisis early in the season, using 38 players in six rounds of Pro14 action so far, but there are some promising young forwards beginning to emerge, including Sligo-born lock Cillian Gallagher and hard-nosed Gorey No8 Paul Boyle. Aussie backrowers Jarrad Butler and Colby Fainga’a have been shrewd acquisitions and Connacht will need those two at their best in a heavyweight pool containing Toulouse, Montpellier and Gloucester. Some tough assignments are ahead for the Westerners but every encounter in this pool will be unmissable. Toulouse and Gloucester, in particular, love to play heads-up rugby but the worry is that their giant packs will be able to grind down Connacht when things get serious. However, Friend’s great entertainers will quietly fancy their chances of
qualification. KEY QUESTION: Can Jack Carty (left) take his game to the next level after a promising World Cup campaign? Carty has the pace and running game but his ability to manage a top-level Test match was brutally exposed against Japan. Carty will need to guide Connacht through some rough terrain in intimidating venues such as Kingsholm and Stade Ernest-Wallon.
ONE TO WATCH: Paul Boyle.
UNDER PRESSURE: Bundee Aki.
PREDICTION: Pool Stages.
PROSPECTS: Dogged by flaky displays on the field and controversy off it, Ulster finally look a settled outfit again after years of turbulence. Dan McFarland has done a commendable job since succeeding Jonno Gibbes as head coach last season. Slowly, he has built Ulster back into a side that is capable of competing on the big stage. That was evident in a superb display against Leinster in the European Champions Cup quarter-final at the Aviva. Led by their outstanding Springbok No8 Marcell Coetzee, Ulster almost pulled off the upset of the season before losing 21-18. It was a case of ‘what if?’ for the northern province after Jacob Stockdale botched what should have been another virtuoso solotry. But McFarland’s men won plenty of admirers that day. He has recruited wisely over the summer with Jack McGrath (right) arriving in Belfast having dropped down the pecking order with Leinster and Ireland. If McGrath rediscovers the form that got him selected for the Lions in 2017, then the rejuvenation of Ulster’s pack will continue. Kiwi utility back Matt Faddes and Australian lock Sam
Carter were signings that did not thrill the local fanbase, but they are both highly rated operators. Faddes in particular can add an extra edge to a dangerous backline containing Stockdale, Will Addison and Luke Marshall.
The big issue is whether they have the forward artillery to cope with Bath, Harlequins and Clermont in their pool. All three away days will be daunting but Clermont’s Stade Marcel Michelin will show what Ulster are made of. Iain Henderson will captain Ulster this season and the province need him at his best if they want to go one better than last season’s European efforts.
KEY QUESTION: How will Ulster cope without Rory Best? The veteran hooker hung up his boots at the ripe age of 37 after the World Cup and leaves a major leadership void.
ONE TO WATCH: Bill Johnston. UNDER PRESSURE: Stuart McCloskey.
PREDICTION: Pool Stages.