BACKS TOTHE WALL
Poverty of Munster’s attack and absence of talismanic O’connell leaves Mcgahan’s men facing real dogfight
FOR the third time in as many years, Leinster, Munster and the Ospreys will contest the Pro12 semi- finals. On the one hand, it is a measure of the consistency of those clubs recently, but it’s also a poor reflection on the likes of Edinburgh, Llanelli Scarlets and the Cardiff Blues, who should be doing much better.
From an Irish perspective, it reflects well on our attitude to the league and makes a mockery of any suggestions the Irish governing body use the Celtic competition for their own selfish needs.
Were Irish sides not giving it the full welly, I shudder to think what the crowd figures and gate receipts would be.
It may be a distant second to the Heineken Cup in terms of glamour and prestige, but the Pro12 still matters to all four Irish teams.
For the record, since the league began the Irish have taken six and the Welsh four of the 10 titles on offer. Munster and the Ospreys lead the way with three crowns apiece and one of them will contest this year’s final.
Only twice has an Irish side not finished on top of the league table ahead of the play- offs. So much for apathy.
Having come to within a single game of completing the European and domestic double in 2011, Joe Schmidt's Leinster have kicked on in even more convincing style this campaign.
As Guy Easterby so rightly says, they have won nothing yet, but they deserve immense credit for their achievement of topping the league by a full 10 points.
In doing so, they have shown a tremendous attitude and have also kept an eye firmly on squad development. Having earned home semi- finals, both Leinster ( at the RDS) and the Ospreys ( in Swansea) will be fancied to qualify and set up a repeat of the 2010 decider, which was won by the Tommy Boweinspired Welsh.
Not for a minute am I writing off the reigning champions – home or away, I’d never bet against them. However, there are two areas of obvious concern. Minus the talismanic Paul O'connell, Munster are a different entity. Even when he is not at his best, his presence demands respect from opponents and inspires those around him. Without O'connell, Munster face a dogfight against the Ospreys on Friday night.
The other issue, and it saddens me to have to return to it, is the poverty of their back play. Right now Munster's threat behind the scrum is at the opposite end of the spectrum to Leinster’s.
It’s vital that new coach Rob Penney gets his way when it comes to choosing a specialist backs assistant. It must be his call.
Five tries in a 28- point win over Heineken Cup finalists Ulster might sound like an impressive display, but closer analysis shows that was anything but the case. Instead, we had a story of individual promise but collective confusion.
At half- back, Conor Murray and Ronan O'gara appear set in stone for another season at least. I have no issue with that, although in his first start at out- half Scott Deasy displayed distinct evidence of a dazzling spontaneity that cannot be coached.
Andrew Trimble was wrongfooted for Simon Zebo's try because of Deasy's ability; he drew both covering defenders to set Zebo free. In that instant he showed an instinct over and above the ordinary. Deasy's display marked him as a player of real potential.
The same applies to Zebo and Keith Earls, but I have reservations about Felix Jones because of the way in which he is being deployed.
The former St Andrew's College and Seapoint full- back is as brave as the day is long, but he is expending a huge amount of energy in unnecessary contact. I dearly wish someone would take him aside and point out his primary function as a full- back.
RUCKING
Time and again he is in rucking, clearing out opponents, when any other available donkey ( with due respect to whatever forward friends I have left) can perform that role.
At a time when Munster need a cutting edge in midfield, the player with the potential to provide it is in grappling for the ball. And please may we be spared the ‘ numbers on shirts no longer matters' nonsense.
Jones has immense promise as an attacking full- back but that potential is not being utilised in the right areas. If Jones had remained at Leinster, do you think for one minute that Schmidt would be allowing him to compromise talent and attacking potential in this way?
There are times when backs must, of necessity, take on the mantle of forwards – look no further than Gordon D'arcy and Brian O'driscoll in that regard – but seldom, if ever, does one or other fail to realign for the next significant attack.
The game has changed for sure, with space on the field now at a premium, but if anything it has made the attacking input of the fullback more important than ever.
Munster still have what it takes ( even in the absence of O'connell) to do a job in the coming weeks, but if they are to re- establish themselves as a Heineken Cup force then root- and- branch three- quarter line surgery is an essential task.