YOUNG GUNS BLAZE TRAIL
Healy is at vanguard of exciting prospects
THERE has been a lot of excitement about Munster’s next generation for quite some time and Sunday’s display in Llanelli was fresh evidence that the province have some special young players on their hands.
A supposedly second-string squad arrived at Parc Y Scarlets and blew the full-strength hosts — replete with Welsh internationals and Lions — off the park with a resounding 43-13 win. It was a day when the likes of Thomas Ahern, Jack O’Sullivan and Liam Coombes added to the growing reputations.
Pulling the strings at No10 was another young gun in Ben Healy. The Tipperary native announced himself on the scene at the same venue last season when he delivered a brilliant performance from the bench as a 14-man Munster side staged a final-quarter fightback to secure a memorable win. Fittingly, it was Healy who stepped up to land the matchwinning penalty. And the sight of the 22-year-old booming over place kicks with nonchalant ease has been a regular occurrence ever since.
Healy’s rise has been well marked from a long way out. Having guided Glenstal Abbey to a maiden Munster Schools Senior Cup triumph in 2018, he was quickly drafted into the Munster academy. Wise beyond his years and a student of the game, he quickly began to make an impression around the corridors of the high-performance centre in Limerick. On one occasion, he left JJ Hanrahan — a senior out-half in the squad at time — perplexed with a tactical inquiry.
‘I remember Ben Healy asked me a question one time,’ Hanrahan told this newspaper back in May of 2019. ‘He was only in the academy a couple of months and he asked me a question and I actually didn’t know if I’d even thought about that, to be honest. That’s the level that they’re at.’
Healy, who also helped the Ireland U20s clinch a Grand Slam that year, managed just three appearances in his maiden season but 2020 would prove his breakthrough with Joey Carbery’s injury problems leaving a gap at No10.
He featured in 17 games for Munster last term, making seven starts. His kicking game was always reliable but Healy still looked a bit raw when it came to running the show. He looked hesitant at times as well. Glasgow and Scotland HQ saw plenty of potential in him, however.
Once they learned of his Scottish ancestry, an attractive offer went in. Munster managed to ward off their advances and tie down their young playmaker on a senior contract. Interestingly, it was only a one-year deal, meaning Healy will return to the negotiating table in the coming months.
If he keeps delivering performances like last weekend then he will arrive for those talks with plenty of credit in the bank.
What’s more, he will be putting pressure on Johann van Graan and his fellow selectors. It appeared that Carbery would be the unquestionable first-choice at the beginning of this new campaign.
He had seemingly put his 18month injury saga behind him and two promising performances for Ireland in the summer against Japan and the US seemed like another step forward.
But Carbery has not looked himself in the opening rounds while Healy looked so assured in his start. This week’s selection meeting should be interesting.
It was a point not lose on defence coach JP Ferreira yesterday.
‘The squad (depth) is massive, that’s what we want,’ he said.
‘We want people pushing for positions and pushing for starting lineups, so it puts pressure on everyone around in your position. That’s what we want, that’s what we are creating, and ultimately that’s going to create a better Munster side going forward so that with that squad depth, they can do the job week-in, week-out, and it doesn’t matter who we select.’
Ferreira has seen Healy mature from an academy rookie to a senior Munster player in three seasons. He has seen enormous growth in his game, particularly his defence. Having a big, physical defender in that No10 channel is no harm these days.
‘Ben has improved massively. Physically he’s a big body. He’s 98kgs, you wouldn’t say it (to look at him), but he is.
‘We’ve worked hard on his defence and the mental side of it, Steve has really worked hard on his game. So on the weekend I was really chuffed with him, just putting his body on the line, especially off that first phase in the lineouts and making his hits, and him almost setting the tone for the rest of the defence coming off lineouts.
‘So he’s grown and he’s evolving and he’s really a student of the game. He sits with myself and he sits with Steve (Larkham) a lot, going through different aspects of the defence and obviously the attack, so Benny is doing really well.’
Fittingly, Munster are at home at Saturday night, with Connacht in town for a derby meeting. It will be the perfect occasion to mark the fifth year of Anthony Foley’s passing.
‘It’s so great that on his fifth anniversary that we’ve got crowds back and that’s going to make it special for the group, for guys that played with him and the legacy that he’s left behind. We’ll acknowledge that and we’re looking forward to the weekend,’ Ferreira added.
And Healy will be right in amongst it. He’s very much part of the Munster picture these days.
“He’s grown, he’s evolving and he’s a student of the game”