BEN HEALY PROVED the match-winner for Munster in Belfast on New Year’s Day, but it seems increasingly likely that he’ll be wearing Scottish colours — both at club and international level — by the end of 2023.
On the year’s first Rugby Weekly Extra podcast for The42 members, Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella joined Gavan Casey and naturally, the topic of the Tipp man’s future arose during analysis of Munster’s last-gasp win over Ulster at Kingspan Stadium.
Jackman suggested that Healy’s move to Scotland — be it to Edinburgh or Glasgow — is already a “done deal”, and the three lads examined the impending transfer from both Healy and Munster’s perspectives.
“By saying you rate Jack Crowley doesn’t mean you don’t rate Ben Healy,” Jackman said. “I rate Ben Healy. What he has in spades is that mental strength, that self-belief, that ability to have big moments under pressure. That’s what differentiates a lot of 10s.
“I do think Crowley seems to have something a little bit above and beyond, particularly as a runner. I’m not saying he can’t play-make but it’s his ability to beat people one-on-one and carry into tight spaces and get out of trouble. And also look at the way Munster want to play. There’s an evolution in how Munster want to play which is better suited to Crowley’s skill-set than Ben Healy’s; and I’m not saying Ben Healy can’t play — because he can.
Advertisement
“The problem is he’s Scottish-qualified. If he’s not Scottish-qualified, Edinburgh or Glasgow don’t come in as strongly as they have, he doesn’t have the choice of playing international rugby elsewhere, and it’s a lot easier to just knuckle down and stay.
“But if your game-time has dried up to a certain extent — and certainly over the last month or two when these discussions [with Scotland] would have been happening — and you can’t see an easy way back… And you probably feel, ‘Hang on, I’ve proven myself!’ — because he’s not like a youngster who hasn’t proven himself; he’s actually gone in there and done well! And then the SRU are coming in… I understand it from his point of view because I think he can go there and play every week and play international rugby.
And from Munster’s point of view, I don’t think it’s a financial thing. To a certain extent I think it’s not being able to look him in the eye and say, ‘We’re going to build a team around you.’ Whereas I think they can probably look Jack Crowley in the eye and say, ‘Our plan is to build a team around you’ — or certainly, ‘our plan is to have you as a key part as this goes forward.’
Ben Healy celebrates his crucial try against Ulster. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Kinsella said of Healy’s potential departure: “In these kinds of instances you think, ‘Is there another place in Ireland for him to go?’ Maybe he could have gone to Ulster. They just took Jake Flannery last year from Munster who was part of that pecking order as well and who hasn’t gotten much game-time.”
“I heard he didn’t want to do that”, Casey replied, “and that if he was going to play in Ireland it had to be for Munster, that he’s a Munster fan and Munster man and it was only going to be that lure of playing for Scotland that could take him away from Munster.”
“Exactly,” Kinsella said. “The lure of going abroad is all the greater because he knows even if he stays in Ireland, he’s down the pecking order with the Ireland coaches as things stand.
“And what an unbelievable chance to step into international rugby — straight away is what he has been promised; that he’ll go straight into the Scotland squad. And I think he can make an impact for them almost immediately.
“Rugby is a very short career he could said have said, ‘Ah, wait another couple of years, I’ll do another contract with Munster and do my best.’ But when you’ve got a very good financial offer and a good sporting offer from a country that obviously does mean something to you because of your family connections, it’s very hard to turn that down.”
Elsewhere on the pod, Jackman, Kinsella and Casey discussed the nature of Ulster’s late collapse and the chastening words from their head coach Dan McFarland which followed it, as well as Ryan Baird and Jordan Larmour’s stunning performances in Leinster’s victory over Connacht.
They also discussed Connacht’s capacity — or potential lack thereof — to finish the season strongly with a relatively kind run of URC fixtures, and the potential threat to leaders Leinster of in-form South African franchises the Stormers and the Sharks.
To listen to the episode in full, as well as weekly episodes with former Ireland performance analyst Eoin Toolan and post-match pods during the upcoming Six Nations, become a member of The42 at members.the42.ie.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
42 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'It's not being able to look him in the eye and say, 'We're going to build a team around you''
BEN HEALY PROVED the match-winner for Munster in Belfast on New Year’s Day, but it seems increasingly likely that he’ll be wearing Scottish colours — both at club and international level — by the end of 2023.
On the year’s first Rugby Weekly Extra podcast for The42 members, Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella joined Gavan Casey and naturally, the topic of the Tipp man’s future arose during analysis of Munster’s last-gasp win over Ulster at Kingspan Stadium.
Jackman suggested that Healy’s move to Scotland — be it to Edinburgh or Glasgow — is already a “done deal”, and the three lads examined the impending transfer from both Healy and Munster’s perspectives.
“By saying you rate Jack Crowley doesn’t mean you don’t rate Ben Healy,” Jackman said. “I rate Ben Healy. What he has in spades is that mental strength, that self-belief, that ability to have big moments under pressure. That’s what differentiates a lot of 10s.
“I do think Crowley seems to have something a little bit above and beyond, particularly as a runner. I’m not saying he can’t play-make but it’s his ability to beat people one-on-one and carry into tight spaces and get out of trouble. And also look at the way Munster want to play. There’s an evolution in how Munster want to play which is better suited to Crowley’s skill-set than Ben Healy’s; and I’m not saying Ben Healy can’t play — because he can.
“The problem is he’s Scottish-qualified. If he’s not Scottish-qualified, Edinburgh or Glasgow don’t come in as strongly as they have, he doesn’t have the choice of playing international rugby elsewhere, and it’s a lot easier to just knuckle down and stay.
“But if your game-time has dried up to a certain extent — and certainly over the last month or two when these discussions [with Scotland] would have been happening — and you can’t see an easy way back… And you probably feel, ‘Hang on, I’ve proven myself!’ — because he’s not like a youngster who hasn’t proven himself; he’s actually gone in there and done well! And then the SRU are coming in… I understand it from his point of view because I think he can go there and play every week and play international rugby.
Kinsella said of Healy’s potential departure: “In these kinds of instances you think, ‘Is there another place in Ireland for him to go?’ Maybe he could have gone to Ulster. They just took Jake Flannery last year from Munster who was part of that pecking order as well and who hasn’t gotten much game-time.”
“I heard he didn’t want to do that”, Casey replied, “and that if he was going to play in Ireland it had to be for Munster, that he’s a Munster fan and Munster man and it was only going to be that lure of playing for Scotland that could take him away from Munster.”
“Exactly,” Kinsella said. “The lure of going abroad is all the greater because he knows even if he stays in Ireland, he’s down the pecking order with the Ireland coaches as things stand.
“And what an unbelievable chance to step into international rugby — straight away is what he has been promised; that he’ll go straight into the Scotland squad. And I think he can make an impact for them almost immediately.
“Rugby is a very short career he could said have said, ‘Ah, wait another couple of years, I’ll do another contract with Munster and do my best.’ But when you’ve got a very good financial offer and a good sporting offer from a country that obviously does mean something to you because of your family connections, it’s very hard to turn that down.”
Elsewhere on the pod, Jackman, Kinsella and Casey discussed the nature of Ulster’s late collapse and the chastening words from their head coach Dan McFarland which followed it, as well as Ryan Baird and Jordan Larmour’s stunning performances in Leinster’s victory over Connacht.
They also discussed Connacht’s capacity — or potential lack thereof — to finish the season strongly with a relatively kind run of URC fixtures, and the potential threat to leaders Leinster of in-form South African franchises the Stormers and the Sharks.
To listen to the episode in full, as well as weekly episodes with former Ireland performance analyst Eoin Toolan and post-match pods during the upcoming Six Nations, become a member of The42 at members.the42.ie.
Originally published at 12.50
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ben Healy Munster rugby weekly extra