THESE ARE VERY early days in the new era but already, this fresh-looking Munster coaching ticket are learning all about the pressure and scrutiny that comes with the territory.
Munster remain the province that attract the most attention on these shores. It’s rare enough that Munster aren’t the story in Irish rugby – for good or bad.
Graham Rowntree got some insight into that reality when he was an assistant coach but the look on his face in post-match interviews as his team struggles shows that he’s now got a very different perspective as head coach.
Andi Kyriacou watched on from the academy last season, enjoying a short stint with the senior team in that unique Wasps week, but now he has to deal with the stress of his forward pack being battered by Connacht last weekend.
Attack coach Mike Prendergast played for the province and knows it inside-out, yet he admits he’s still getting used to face-to-face interactions with Munster fans who want the best for their team. His players’ struggles to simply hold the ball must be agonising.
And defence coach Denis Leamy? Well, he was part of the squad that created some of the expectation that still lingers around Munster. Two Heineken Cup trophies will do that.
Few could argue that the current Munster group looks like a trophy-winning one on paper and it’s apparent that their current struggles have been coming for some years. But Leamy says that the weight of history will always loom to some degree.
Munster have faced plenty of criticism in recent weeks, yet Leamy says the supporters he has been meeting in person have been supportive of their efforts.
“I was at a senior rugby match between Cashel and UL [Bohs] on Saturday and I bumped into loads of grassroots rugby people and, you know, you get the support,” says Leamy.
Advertisement
“People are very supportive. There is an awful lot of good people out there, they understand the patience and the time that is required. And it is nothing but support.
Leamy returned to Munster from Leinster during the summer. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“Look I understand in a club like Munster – and it is a big club, a big European club – there is always going to be pressures. There is always going to be expectations. We knew when we took the job, we knew that we are playing in the jersey. There is an expectation that comes with Munster that is huge and we know the standards that are required and we are working towards that, I can assure you.
“People on the ground, I get a lot of support and you get a lot of encouragement from meeting those people as well, absolutely.”
As for whether the expectations on Munster to be successful are fair, Leamy points to the fact that the current squad includes lots of younger players.
“There is a standard that we push all the time,” says Leamy. “Look, are they held to the standard of the past in terms of the expectation? We’ve got to be realistic.
“We’ve got a different group now, it’s a young group by and large. There’s an awful lot of young academy lads in our building. Young players in terms of the amount of caps they’ve got and we’ve just got to be careful around smothering them, right?
“We have to be good with their development; trust them, pick them, expose them. We can’t smother that just bludgeoning them with information and expectation.
“That takes time, it takes time in every club. I’ve been in different places, it takes time to blood young players. How you manage and create that is very important.
“I genuinely believe we have a crop of young players here that if we manage them right, they can bring us on into the next generation, ie: 10 years’ time. There’s loads of evidence of that starting to appear. Just how we manage them is really important.”
Munster return to Thomond Park this weekend in serious need of a boost to their season. After defeats to Cardiff, Dragons, and Connacht, as well as an underwhelming win over Zebre, this Saturday’s clash against the Bulls is a must-win.
Munster are back in Thomond Park this Saturday. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Home comforts are welcome and Munster hope to have a big crowd showing their support in Limerick.
“I think Thomond Park is a very special place to Munster people and to Munster teams, you take that for granted,” says Leamy. “It is brilliant to be back there, it really is.
“In terms of the number of the crowd, I am not sure. I think our support base is spread right throughout a geographically big area so, you know, whether we will have a packed stadium I am not sure.
“But what I do know is there will be a huge amount of people watching and a huge amount of interest and opinion around it. So we want to give those people a performance that they are proud of.
“We want to give a performance we are proud of and we are conscious that Thomond Park is a special ground and we hope that it brings the best out of us.”
Get instant updates on your province on The42 app. With Laya Healthcare, official health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
11 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Pressure and expectation comes with the territory at 'big European club' Munster
THESE ARE VERY early days in the new era but already, this fresh-looking Munster coaching ticket are learning all about the pressure and scrutiny that comes with the territory.
Munster remain the province that attract the most attention on these shores. It’s rare enough that Munster aren’t the story in Irish rugby – for good or bad.
Graham Rowntree got some insight into that reality when he was an assistant coach but the look on his face in post-match interviews as his team struggles shows that he’s now got a very different perspective as head coach.
Andi Kyriacou watched on from the academy last season, enjoying a short stint with the senior team in that unique Wasps week, but now he has to deal with the stress of his forward pack being battered by Connacht last weekend.
Attack coach Mike Prendergast played for the province and knows it inside-out, yet he admits he’s still getting used to face-to-face interactions with Munster fans who want the best for their team. His players’ struggles to simply hold the ball must be agonising.
And defence coach Denis Leamy? Well, he was part of the squad that created some of the expectation that still lingers around Munster. Two Heineken Cup trophies will do that.
Few could argue that the current Munster group looks like a trophy-winning one on paper and it’s apparent that their current struggles have been coming for some years. But Leamy says that the weight of history will always loom to some degree.
Munster have faced plenty of criticism in recent weeks, yet Leamy says the supporters he has been meeting in person have been supportive of their efforts.
“I was at a senior rugby match between Cashel and UL [Bohs] on Saturday and I bumped into loads of grassroots rugby people and, you know, you get the support,” says Leamy.
“People are very supportive. There is an awful lot of good people out there, they understand the patience and the time that is required. And it is nothing but support.
“Look I understand in a club like Munster – and it is a big club, a big European club – there is always going to be pressures. There is always going to be expectations. We knew when we took the job, we knew that we are playing in the jersey. There is an expectation that comes with Munster that is huge and we know the standards that are required and we are working towards that, I can assure you.
“People on the ground, I get a lot of support and you get a lot of encouragement from meeting those people as well, absolutely.”
As for whether the expectations on Munster to be successful are fair, Leamy points to the fact that the current squad includes lots of younger players.
“There is a standard that we push all the time,” says Leamy. “Look, are they held to the standard of the past in terms of the expectation? We’ve got to be realistic.
“We’ve got a different group now, it’s a young group by and large. There’s an awful lot of young academy lads in our building. Young players in terms of the amount of caps they’ve got and we’ve just got to be careful around smothering them, right?
“We have to be good with their development; trust them, pick them, expose them. We can’t smother that just bludgeoning them with information and expectation.
“That takes time, it takes time in every club. I’ve been in different places, it takes time to blood young players. How you manage and create that is very important.
“I genuinely believe we have a crop of young players here that if we manage them right, they can bring us on into the next generation, ie: 10 years’ time. There’s loads of evidence of that starting to appear. Just how we manage them is really important.”
Munster return to Thomond Park this weekend in serious need of a boost to their season. After defeats to Cardiff, Dragons, and Connacht, as well as an underwhelming win over Zebre, this Saturday’s clash against the Bulls is a must-win.
Home comforts are welcome and Munster hope to have a big crowd showing their support in Limerick.
“I think Thomond Park is a very special place to Munster people and to Munster teams, you take that for granted,” says Leamy. “It is brilliant to be back there, it really is.
“In terms of the number of the crowd, I am not sure. I think our support base is spread right throughout a geographically big area so, you know, whether we will have a packed stadium I am not sure.
“But what I do know is there will be a huge amount of people watching and a huge amount of interest and opinion around it. So we want to give those people a performance that they are proud of.
“We want to give a performance we are proud of and we are conscious that Thomond Park is a special ground and we hope that it brings the best out of us.”
Get instant updates on your province on The42 app. With Laya Healthcare, official health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Bulls Denis Leamy expectation Munster Munster scrutiny URC weight of history