WITH APOLOGIES TO the good people of Inchicore, who recently had their homeplace named one of the “coolest neighbourhoods on the planet” by Time Out magazine, if you’re in Dublin today then Drumcondra is the only place to be.
Over 82,000 rugby fans, no doubt including a few bandwagoners, will descend on Croke Park this evening to take in the latest installment of the Leinster-Munster rivalry [KO 5.45pm, RTÉ/Premier Sports/URC TV] on what is set to be a fresh, largely dry in Dublin.
Whatever about the match, the occasion in itself is worth dwelling on for a moment. It is, in many ways, just another game, something both camps have stressed as they look to play down the hype and focus on producing a performance. There are no trophies being handed out this evening and an underperformance from either side won’t derail the long season that lies ahead.
Yet at the same time, there is no escaping the fact it’s much more than just another game.
As part of their early week preparations, Leinster welcomed UCD historian Paul Rouse into their headquarters for a talk on the history and significance of the most iconic stadium in Irish sport. Down in Munster, the players spent a morning chatting through their memories of the ground growing up, when pilgrimages were made wearing county colours.
Munster boss Graham Rowntree won’t be the only man making his first visit to Croke Park this weekend, but for many of those set to take to the pitch, the GAA has served as an important part of their life. Munster out-half Jack Crowley grew up wanting to be Joe Deane. His understudy today, Tony Butler, played minor hurling for Clare. If you haven’t seen the footage of a young Tadhg Furlong breaking out of defence for Horeswood, then stop reading this right now and get on YouTube.
The players know that days like today don’t come around often, so it’s important to embrace them when they do. Leinster have been to Croke Park just once since the famous 2009 Heineken Cup meeting between these teams, and for these Munster players, this might be their only chance to lace up on Jones’ Road.
So who is best equipped to rise to the occasion?
Leinster have the stronger squad, although injury problems open some holes Munster will try pick at. Lee Barron is a highly-rated, yet relatively inexperienced hooker who has never played in a game like this before. Likewise Liam Turner, who has amassed a bucketful of caps at centre but starts on the wing for just the fourth time.
With their backline options limited, both Harry and Ross Byrne are named on the bench, bringing Leinster’s out-half tally for the day to three. Should they suffer an early setback, expect Ciarán Frawley to be pushed from 10 to cover where needed. It’s a massive day for Frawley, who has had to be patient for his chances at out-half, and if he delivers the Leinster 10 jersey could finally be his to lose.
A summer in South Africa provided further evidence Frawley has the temperment for the biggest stages and his support cast aren’t too bad themselves. Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and winger James Lowe are game-changing talents who elevate the players around them. And yet up front is where Leinster perhaps hold the upper hand. If Leinster’s powerful pack – led by new captain Caelan Doris and now bolstered by RG Snyman – have one of their good days, they have the ballast to steamroll their visitors.
Munster don’t pack the same wealth of Test level talent but they do have the tools to dismantle their hosts. The province are a well-drilled side and are capable of wonderfully incisive moments in attack, although porus displays against Connacht and Zebre raised questions about their defence. Jacques Nienaber and Tyler Bleyendaal will have studied those tapes forensically.
Their own injury problems have been well covered but the return of Alex Nankivell at centre is a significant boost, as is the form of new recruit Tom Farrell beside him. In the pack, Tadhg Beirne and Jean Kleyn form a formidable second row that will aim to knock Barron off course at the lineout. Rowntree has named a physical backline, and in Jack Crowley and Craig Casey, the province possess two half-backs who have shifted from promising talents to big game players.
Casey has carried the momentum of his time in South Africa into the new season, while Crowley looked sharp on his return against the Ospreys last weekend. The out-half has a strong kicking game and will seek to find holes in a Leinster defence that tends to offer space in the backfield – as Northampton discovered during their own visit to Croke Park last May. If Munster are to take the spoils, they’ll need to be clever and clinical.
“I still think it’s all about trying to find the space and execute your skill under pressure,” says Crowley. “We’ve seen it with the South African teams in the URC, particularly Stormers the first year, they were unbelievably aggressive.
“So it’s just about nailing your basics in attack and not coughing up any loose ball because that’s obviously what they’re after in terms of those scraps and stuff. They’re aggressive with their line speed, but if you’re calm enough and prepared enough, you’ll be able to at some points take opportunities.”
The season is only a few short weeks old, but already the stakes feel high.
“There are all the little subplots in the two teams,” says Leinster head coach Leo Cullen.
“It’s amazing to see Tadhg Beirne coming up as Munster captain. That as a story alone, and then there are guys like Tom Farrell [former Leinster Academy]. You have Tyler [Bleyendaal] coming in here. Jacques has coached in the red corner and now the blue corner. You have an amazing arena to perform in for the players.”
For those on the outside looking in, it’s easy to be lured by the romance of the occasion. This is Irish Rugby’s biggest club rivalry, in Irish sport’s biggest stadium, in front of one of the biggest audiences club rugby has ever seen. The ramifications will not be as seismic as they were in 2009, but there’s not a single player involved today who really feels it’s just another game.
“The players on the field get to write history with their performances,” says Cullen. “The scribes will write it as they see it but the players are the ones who get to really influence that story.
“That’s the exciting part; 5.45pm, two sets of players, anything can happen.”
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Liam Turner, Garry Ringrose, Jamie Osborne, James Lowe; Ciarán Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Lee Barron, Tadhg Furlong; RG Snyman, James Ryan; Jack Conan, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (capt).
Replacements: Gus McCarthy, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Max Deegan, Luke McGrath, Ross Byrne, Harry Byrne.
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Seán O’Brien; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (capt); Jack O’Donoghue, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Kieran Ryan, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Ruadhán Quinn, Conor Murray, Tony Butler, Shay McCarthy.
Referee: Chris Busby [IRFU].
