MUNSTER ATTACK COACH Mike Prendergast says new signing Malakai Fekitoa will be able to show more of his quality as he continues to settle into life with the Irish province.
The former All Blacks centre, who now plays Test rugby for his native Tonga, joined Munster from Wasps during the summer.
He has started the southern province’s first three games of the URC season but has had a frustrating time amidst Munster’s collective struggles to fire. Fekitoa has clearly been making a big effort to deliver in the red jersey and Prendergast believes there is plenty to come.
“There is yeah, absolutely,” said Prendergast. “He’s a fantastic player on his day and I’ve seen glimpses of it, absolutely I have, you see it at training and in some of the games.
“It’s just getting used to combinations which it has been over the last number of weeks, he’s still finding his feet.
“That takes a bit of time in terms of the move, the whole rugby side of things, new coaches, new players, but we definitely see aspects of his game on both sides of the ball which are exciting and we know what’s going to come down the line.”
Fekitoa’s frustration so far is a reflection of how Munster are feeling as a set-up. Their defeats against Cardiff and Dragons were followed up by a disappointing performance against Zebre even as they notched their first win of the season.
Prendergast does come across as calm in his conviction that Munster will improve over the coming weeks, but it has been a different experience for him back with his home province after joining from Racing 92 at the end of last season.
Being among the rugby-mad locals in Limerick is certainly different to life in the French capital.
“In Paris, you can go for a coffee or go for lunch and you don’t meet anyone, and they don’t ask you any questions,” said Prendergast.
“Here, it’s a lot different and obviously I suppose we got a nice result last week, the performance wasn’t the best. When your performances overall haven’t been where people maybe expect them to be, yeah there’s a lot more to it.
“There’s more conversations around it but look, I knew that coming home. It’s a great club and it’s a great rugby city so you’ve got to embrace that as well, with the good times and with the tough times. And we know sport is like that and I know it very well, so I’m just getting used to that again.”
The Munster attack has stuttered in the opening three games, with a string of handling errors letting them down. At times, Prendergast’s men have struggled to run their rehearsed plays off set-piece because the ball has been spilled early in the passage.
He believes many of those errors are down to players having to familiarise themselves with other, given that Munster have used 41 players in three games.
“There have been individual errors, but there has been that combination thing a small bit as well.
“To the naked eye I know it sometimes looks like a dropped pass but when you are playing with different players, different players pass the ball and run different lines, and it’s just getting the timing right and those different combinations as well. And yeah there are those individual errors.
“The players are the first people to realise that. We train at a high tempo with a lot of touches on the ball. As a coaching staff and as a group, we know where we want to go and this is the avenue that we’re going to go down, and we’re going to improve every day and every week by doing it.”
Prendergast believes that these Munster players have the skill level to make this new style of play work.
“Absolutely, and it would have been something that I had looked at,” he said. “You don’t just go into a club and decide to put in a type of framework and system and expect it just to click straight away.
“So, that’s an ongoing and it will be an ongoing process that we’re working on. Every day and every week, we’re trying to get better at it.”
Get instant updates on your province on The42 app. With Laya Healthcare, official health and wellbeing partner to Leinster, Munster and Connacht Rugby.
Not a week later and JVG’s only change is injury enforced.
Bench looks good but hard to assess how well they fit into the first string plan when brought onto the pitch with alongside other replacements
@Billy Keenan: all provinces have fielded pretty much full strength sides where possible. Likely due to the internationals being away in a few weeks so they need game time after a poor end to the season for all teams.
@Billy Keenan: Great to see Casey and Healy involved. The youth is beginning to be trusted slowly but surely at Munster
JOD is not a No.7, he plays his best rugby at 6/8. Where are TOD, Cloete or Hodnett
@Patrick O Connell: JOD is one of your 3 best back row players though, and one of your form players last season. If the 3 players you listee JOD is currently a better player than any of them. And only Cloete is what you would call a traditional 7 anyway.
@Johnny 5: TOD is very much a 7. The silence around Hodnett is intriguing. I would have thought he would be in the 23 if fit.
@TL55: some of the academy guys are in isolation
@TL55: has the guy ever been fit? Thomas Waldron mrkII
@Johnny 5: I’m not doubting he is one our best players but all his best games are at 6 or 8
@Patrick O Connell: Could O’Mahony be moved to 7? Like is that actually something that is a realistic option?
@Gareth Ward: no defo not. He’s not a 7. Realistically he’s not in your best back row combo.
Pop quiz: what differing roles do 6s 7s and 8s perform outside of set pieces?
No Billy Holland thank god
@Harry O’Callaghan: thanking god is a bit much.
@Harry O’Callaghan: terrible comment from you pal ,we don’t slag or own,nothing constructive to say then up.
@Thomas King:
wasn’t Ian Keatley jeered off in a match a few years ago?
@Robb Stark: by a few clowns ,there in every club, what is your point?
@Harry O’Callaghan: …get back in yer box little lad!!! A good servant to Munster, answered the National call when asked and did not disappoint and has been a model of all things decent and respectful off the pitch . Will be fondly remembered by all genuine rugby people when he does retire. Go hop your puny ba!!s elsewhere
@Michael Murray: Harry is only a troll. I’ve him blocked for ages now so don’t have to see the rubbish he spouts. You should follow suit
@Robb Stark: Ah Robb. Whose only goal in life seems to be cut Munster. What a sad old man you are.
Surprised Nick McCarthy isn’t even on the bench. Must be injured. There will have been some input from Nucifora/Farrell from the national team perspective in selection for this game which probably explains the selection of O’Donoghue at 7 and Ryan at 3. They are obviously in the plans for the November internationals.
@David Finn: JOD merits a place in the irish setup but no at 7, not a hope. He’s a smashing 6 but there’s plenty of better 7′s out there.
@Chris Mc: you might find POM playing 7 wearing 6 for the Scarlets game and JOD vice versa. Let’s see, and I agree with you JOD a fine player and will make a breakthrough this season.
Maybe I’m out of the loop, but is there a reason Salanoa has not been included even on the bench?
Is he injured?
@Aaron Tynan: At this point he’s behind both Archer & Ryan and maybe Knox. If Ryan is involved in the national squad hopefully both him & Knox will get some game time.
@TL55: he looked good when he came on in the A game last week. Id imagine he’s not far off getting a run but away to the scarlets in supposedly terrible weather is probably not the place to start him. Hes had about 3 senior run outs in his career in fairness
@TL55: we know what were getting with archer.
Great servant just not good enough
never has been.. It’s time to back the two young lads at tighthead. They can rotate behind Ryan..
@PScald: As Tim Magner said away to Scarlets in poor weather is probably not the right place to blood him at competitive level.
@TL55: with all due respect, the Scarlets in any weather are exactly the type of opposition you use to blood front rowers. Hardly a front row to run from
@PScald: nobody is running from anyone but it’s complete bs to say 99 Welsh caps and a vastly, top level experienced tighthead is nothing
@Dave O Keeffe: who do you want to blood these guys against?