The malaise in Munster has seeped into every performance pore and the upshot was another wretched display. When it was put up to Johann van Graan’s side in the two matches they needed to win, they sank without a trace, first against Leinster, and then last weekend, Ulster.
Identifying the root cause is much more difficult from outside the group but what has been apparent for some time now is that the current coaching group has elicited very little or no positive response from the players. That dynamic is as flat as the performances.
As a player or a team, when you are struggling, you become easily distracted and that was very much in evidence for Ulster’s first try. The lack of discipline was shocking. Several Munster players decided that it was more important to get involved in a pushing and shoving match rather than defend their line having conceded a penalty.
The alpha male posturing used to be a calling card of South African players in particular back in my time but the days of Kobus Wiese’s flailing fists have no place in the modern game. Eben Etzebeth and Evan Roos are occasional high-profile proponents, but it is largely a waste of time that achieves precisely zero. The television cameras pick up pretty much everything.
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The South Africans liked to emphasise their physical superiority in terms of size and power, looking to intimidate and they had the genetics to back that up, but it was hard to figure out what Munster thought could be gained from that flare-up.
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Ulster captain Iain Henderson managed to engage Alex Kendellen in a bit of jersey pulling, the same Munster player who was involved in a similar fashion with Leinster’s Harry Byrne in the previous game. Young Kendellen is a fine prospect, but he needs to concentrate on rugby and not be distracted from that primary focus. If a player gets a name for it other teams will look to prey on that weakness.
I remember a session with performance psychologist Enda McNulty at a time when Leinster were in a period of transition under the then head coach Michael Cheika. Change is rarely easy or simple and that certainly proved to be the case for us.
McNulty produced a picture of arrows on a page, all pointing in different directions. He said that this represented our environment at Leinster, pulling in different directions on and off the pitch. The next page showed the arrows pointing largely in the same direction and then the final folio had the arrows perfectly aligned. That was the goal for the group.
Munster’s performance issues cannot be fixed without first accepting there is a problem
The message was clear for coaches and players; what we were saying and doing was out of sync. If we wanted to win a European trophy, we had to change our attitude and playing orientation so that everyone worked in harmony towards that stated goal.
It required tough conversations and decisions. Sometimes the message from the coaches was not clear or understood or on occasion we simply didn’t agree with it. Players were forced to take responsibility. It was a tough, unforgiving environment that culled those that couldn’t cope.
Once aligned correctly everything followed on from there and we started to make significant improvements. For me, that must be incoming Munster head coach Graham Rowntree’s first order of business.
It is less about coaching initially, more about drawing up a performance template and then being ruthless and rigorous in evaluating who measures up or does not within the playing group. Watching Munster recently I am tempted to believe that the big wins were outliers in performance terms rather than a steady and sustainable climb in that playing graph.
The inability to maintain a level of performance shows a squad that is pulling in different directions. That may be down to selection or tactics. Players might be trying to play in a way that they have not fully bought into and instead trying to muddle through as best they can. In that culture you need strong characters who will challenge a coach.
Rowntree must discover where the rot lies if he does not know already. Munster’s performance issues cannot be fixed without first accepting there is a problem. The mandate for the new coaching ticket is to get the team playing consistently well with a focus on reaching their potential rather than becoming fixated on silverware; one provides for the other.
When you examine Munster’s last two outings, they have appreciably substandard and what clearly remains is a frustrated group of players. In must-win games, the group, collectively and in many cases individually, fell well below the required level.
In advance of the 2015 Six Nations I got a call from Joe Schmidt to tell me that he wanted me to stay with Leinster to play matches, pointing out that I knew all the Ireland calls and if there was an injury to Jared Payne or Robbie Henshaw, I would be the next cab off the rank.
I had played injured and poorly in December, which resigned me to bench duty for Leinster in Europe in January and the knock-on effect was clear and obvious. The chance to perform is a privilege and if you don’t measure up, then that access is denied. Some Munster players will face an uncomfortable week or so waiting to see if they are part of Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad to tour New Zealand.
The Ulster players head for a meeting the Stormers in South Africa on Saturday with a spring in the step. They were clinical, precise, and scored some excellent tries in the victory over Munster. Stewart Moore’s was the pick of the bunch. It showcased lovely hands from James Hume to free Robert Baloucoune; three passes later and the fullback crossed untouched.
Hume and Baloucoune are two examples of players beginning to force the hand of the Irish coaches in terms of hierarchy within the national squad. There will be an onus on these two in the next fortnight to maintain that direct influence on matches, not just for their Irish chances but to try to get their team within touching distance of a trophy.
Ulster, having enjoyed the importance of home advantage, will be travelling to South Africa knowing they need to step that performance up a notch and yet still leave something in the tank for a final.
Ulster simply cannot allow the Stormers to squeeze their tight five in the visitors’ third of the pitch
Dan McFarland’s squad has the game to win this match, something they proved in a narrow defeat to that opposition in March. There has been a late surge by the South African teams in the United Rugby Championship (URC) facilitated by a glut of home matches late on in the fixture schedule.
The South African teams have managed to win matches, often narrowly, but have markedly not been capable of sustaining performance levels through 80 minutes. They possess a try-scoring threat as the Stormers demonstrated against Edinburgh over the weekend, but are prone to drift in and out of matches.
This is mostly likely a mix of the higher tempo some of the URC teams are trying to play at, against a preference for set-piece orientated approach from the South African teams.
Ulster simply cannot allow the Stormers to squeeze their tight five in the visitors’ third of the pitch or they will feel that pressure both physically and on the scoreboard. If they can manage this aspect of the game, stick to their guns in the way they play and continue to generate quick ball then they have a chance to return home with a place in a URC final.
To do so they will have to score tries. South African teams have knockout rugby pedigree and while Ulster have the wherewithal to win, home advantage might just sway the tie in favour of the Stormers.
The Bulls travel to the RDS knowing that a 60-minute performance will not suffice. Leo Cullen’s decision to freshen up the Leinster team following the disappointment of the Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle had the desired effect when coupled with Glasgow’s ridiculously brittle showing.
Leinster’s head coach is likely to tweak the team once again and if there is no diminution in performance levels then the Irish province will take a step closer to a fifth consecutive league title.
