OUT OF THE BLUE
Molony’s career explodes after years on fringe
ROSS MOLONY was the odd one out in Leinster’s European semifinal victory against Toulouse. Of the eight starting forwards which laid waste to the visitors, the 28-year-old lock was the only player who has yet to win an international cap.
It’s a label which is set to change this summer. Molony is being tipped to tour New Zealand in July. Getting on the flight to Auckland is one thing, featuring in one of the three Tests against the All Blacks will be a another challenge altogether. On current form, he should be right in the mix when Andy Farrell and the Ireland management sit down to finalise their touring squad next month, however.
It’s a suggestion which would have been greeted with a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head from many pundits, ex-players and punters alike a few years ago.
Molony — who is in his eighth season with Leinster — was seen as something of a foot soldier for the domestic beat. An honest grafter who filled in for the established stars during the Test windows or when more talented second rows were injured or rested. Molony was seen as a reliable club player for the league, nothing else. That was his ceiling. A battler for places like Rodney Parade, Scotstoun or Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.
In terms of ball carrying, physicality, passing skills and sheer presence, he was not perceived as Test standard. The likes of James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne and Iain Henderson were the frontliners. Ultan Dillane and Quinn Roux — before his move to France — occupied the next tier while young locks such as Fineen Wycherley and Gavin Thornbury were being tipped to wear the green jersey.
Then there was Ryan Baird, something of a physical freak. It was the young Leinster lock who was being hailed as the next big thing at the province. This, after all, was a player who had Farrell and the rest of the Ireland coaching team out of their seats and applauding when he scythed and pirouetted his way through the Dragons defence for a brilliant individual score at the RDS last June. Baird had made his Ireland debut in Rome four months previously and has racked up eight appearances for this country to date. Curiously, he found himself behind Molony in the Leinster pecking order this season. Long before Baird’s troublesome back injury, which has curtailed the second half of this campaign, he was finding himself among the replacements, with Molony in the starting pack. In terms of athleticism, explosive power and size, there is no contest between both locks. Baird is a unique type of player. Molony has improved immeasurably in the past 24 months though.
A keen student of the game, he is renowned in the squad as a lineout caller. A handy skill to have, especially with Devin Toner on the last lap in the professional game with the Meathman retiring this summer. Molony’s handling skills have been top notch, too. He earned rave reviews for his link play in the 40-point drubbing of Toulouse recently. His carrying into contact has also gone up another level. Again, Molony was not seen as a powerful second row who could punch holes around the fringes of the ruck, yet there was the sight of the Dubliner smashing through Toulouse’s heavyweight French forwards on several occasions.
He has changed a lot of perceptions recently. Leo Cullen has known his value for a long time. The Leinster supremo had a similar career trajectory himself. Renowned as his home province, Cullen was on the international beat at the same time as Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan and, later on, Donnacha Ryan. The Leinster captain supposedly lacked the requisite size and power to compete at international level. Cullen earned 32 Ireland caps, but rarely commanded a starting spot.
Back in January, Molony missed out on a spot in Farrell’s Six Nations training squad. Cullen felt he was unlucky, citing the offfield impact of his previously unheralded second row.
‘Ross is a very, very smart player to begin with,’ the Leinster head coach noted at the time.
‘He’s been an important player in the group for a long, long time now. He’s a very important onfield communicator for us on game day but also during the training week. He’s very, very smart and understands the game incredibly well and has a glue sense to the group, so will help all
“He won rave reviews in win over Toulouse”
the players around him in terms of his organisation and leadership ability.
‘So he’s been going great, Ross, I think he’s unlucky obviously to miss out on the national squad but he’s definitely on the radar there.’
Molony is something of a late bloomer, but he could be making up for lost time in the coming years. Next season, he will be front and centre in the Leinster depth chart. Toner is hanging up his boots at the end of the season, Josh Murphy is moving to Connacht while Jack Dunne is heading for Exeter. That leaves Ryan, Molony and Baird at the top of the food chain, with Jason Jenkins arriving from Munster to add some South African muscle.
Leinster’s arch rivals are in town this weekend for a final-round URC meeting in Aviva Stadium. Leinster are set to rest a raft of frontliners ahead of the European Cup final against La Rochelle. There was a time when Molony would have been earmarked to fill the gap. No more, he should have his feet up ahead of the big one in Marseille. Leinster need their best players fit and fresh for it. Molony is very much in that bracket these days.