NO SEXTON-O’GARA trash-talk, contract talks hovering in the background and two coaches with, as yet, no emotional investment in the fixture — there’s an unmistakable feeling that Saturday’s game will lack the usual edge and that after 15 years of genuine animosity, we may be easing into an era of light grappling between Munster and Leinster.
Before now we always had the two provinces on opposite trajectories, one deeply jealous of the other. From the very start of professionalism Munster were on a mission, crushing Leinster several times before that slow deliberate march to their first title in 2006.
Then we had Leinster clawing and scraping their way back to parity, seeing Munster as both the benchmark and the ultimate roadkill on their path to glory in 2009.
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Since then it’s been about Leinster defining their own culture, beyond merely being compared to Munster, while Munster fans have had to get used to the idea that they’re no longer top dogs. This is the first season since 1998 where neither province can claim to be in the ascendancy or fully happy with their lot.
The two men looking at the bigger picture are Rob Penney and Matt O’Connor. Penney was the most talked about rugby coach in the country last year because the style he chose was so visually distinctive and because, at times, it went so badly wrong. That’s low-hanging fruit for fans and the media.
Munster played exceptionally well in four important games last season, but that doesn’t mean the gameplan debate has gone away. Simon Zebo and Peter O’Mahony are keen to point out that this is their team now, that its time for the young guns to put their stamp on things, but the strategy against Harlequins looked like a mix of O’Gara’s brain and O’Connell’s intensity.
The narrative of this season for Munster will be shaped by Penney’s ability to match the gameplan to the skill levels. If O’Connell has his ear, a blending of the old and the new is an exciting prospect, especially with the sparkling JJ Hanrahan now an option at outhalf. Hanrahan is suited to a modern gameplan and you get the feeling Joe Schmidt would like to see more of him, especially in a game like this.
The chosen one
Matt O’Connor, meanwhile, is the David Moyes of Irish rugby, taking over from a brilliant coach and inheriting a squad that needs some re-jigging. He has stated he won’t make any major alterations to the style of play, just a few snips here and there, but he has to say that while he gets to know the club and the players.
His job hasn’t been made any easier by the constant speculation surrounding his senior players who have no doubt been reading about the IRFU’s dealings with Sexton and consequently are getting jumpy about their careers. O’Connor worked as a hands-on head-coach at Leicester, under director of rugby Richard Cockerill so is still getting to grips with the transfer market and the media, but this era of Sky versus BT and gluttonous French businessmen is on another level.
It’s assumed Leinster are in better shape than Munster with two trophies last season and Ian Madigan continuing to impress in Sexton’s absence, but with no Isa Nacewa and a creeping realisation that what worked under Joe Schmidt is no longer good enough, there is plenty of reshaping to be done. The signing of Lote Tuqiri, for example, looks like a clunky attempt to address the lack of bulk in the backline, when more remedial work is required in the second row.
Meanwhile, Munster are flickering to life again, looking ambitious, looking pacey, scoring tries and daring to believe the good days will return, but knowing too that good form will have to turn to excellent form if they’re to overcome their old foes.
Simon Hick column: Old heavyweights meet again but Leinster and Munster packing less of a punch
NO SEXTON-O’GARA trash-talk, contract talks hovering in the background and two coaches with, as yet, no emotional investment in the fixture — there’s an unmistakable feeling that Saturday’s game will lack the usual edge and that after 15 years of genuine animosity, we may be easing into an era of light grappling between Munster and Leinster.
Before now we always had the two provinces on opposite trajectories, one deeply jealous of the other. From the very start of professionalism Munster were on a mission, crushing Leinster several times before that slow deliberate march to their first title in 2006.
Then we had Leinster clawing and scraping their way back to parity, seeing Munster as both the benchmark and the ultimate roadkill on their path to glory in 2009.
Since then it’s been about Leinster defining their own culture, beyond merely being compared to Munster, while Munster fans have had to get used to the idea that they’re no longer top dogs. This is the first season since 1998 where neither province can claim to be in the ascendancy or fully happy with their lot.
The two men looking at the bigger picture are Rob Penney and Matt O’Connor. Penney was the most talked about rugby coach in the country last year because the style he chose was so visually distinctive and because, at times, it went so badly wrong. That’s low-hanging fruit for fans and the media.
Munster played exceptionally well in four important games last season, but that doesn’t mean the gameplan debate has gone away. Simon Zebo and Peter O’Mahony are keen to point out that this is their team now, that its time for the young guns to put their stamp on things, but the strategy against Harlequins looked like a mix of O’Gara’s brain and O’Connell’s intensity.
The narrative of this season for Munster will be shaped by Penney’s ability to match the gameplan to the skill levels. If O’Connell has his ear, a blending of the old and the new is an exciting prospect, especially with the sparkling JJ Hanrahan now an option at outhalf. Hanrahan is suited to a modern gameplan and you get the feeling Joe Schmidt would like to see more of him, especially in a game like this.
The chosen one
Matt O’Connor, meanwhile, is the David Moyes of Irish rugby, taking over from a brilliant coach and inheriting a squad that needs some re-jigging. He has stated he won’t make any major alterations to the style of play, just a few snips here and there, but he has to say that while he gets to know the club and the players.
His job hasn’t been made any easier by the constant speculation surrounding his senior players who have no doubt been reading about the IRFU’s dealings with Sexton and consequently are getting jumpy about their careers. O’Connor worked as a hands-on head-coach at Leicester, under director of rugby Richard Cockerill so is still getting to grips with the transfer market and the media, but this era of Sky versus BT and gluttonous French businessmen is on another level.
It’s assumed Leinster are in better shape than Munster with two trophies last season and Ian Madigan continuing to impress in Sexton’s absence, but with no Isa Nacewa and a creeping realisation that what worked under Joe Schmidt is no longer good enough, there is plenty of reshaping to be done. The signing of Lote Tuqiri, for example, looks like a clunky attempt to address the lack of bulk in the backline, when more remedial work is required in the second row.
Meanwhile, Munster are flickering to life again, looking ambitious, looking pacey, scoring tries and daring to believe the good days will return, but knowing too that good form will have to turn to excellent form if they’re to overcome their old foes.
Penney ready for ‘titanic battle’ when Leinster come to Thomond
Leinster v Munster is one of rugby’s great spectacles – Matt O’Connor
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