It was an open secret that Munster’s new head coach Clayton McMillan had introduced the squad to extracurricular pursuits like boxing, hill running, swimming and rowing. With that in mind, defence coach Denis Leamy wasn’t betraying any confidences when he referred to “a little bit of old school to build up a bit of our mental toughness”.
Munster travel to west Wales at the weekend where they take on the Scarlets in their opening match of the United Rugby Championship. Quite apart from taking a slightly different approach to preseason conditioning, McMillan has brought a fresh set of eyes to the position. But there will be some playing values that Munster supporters will recognise when the team takes its competitive bow.
Leamy explained: “I think there will be little subtle changes. There’s been a big focus on traditional values, being as tough around our set piece as we can possibly be, bringing that real grit around the contact area. And then, maybe playing with a little bit more pragmatism at times in our own half and stuff like that.
“[That’s] without ever going away from trying to play the game in the right way and being of an attacking nature.”
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McMillan will provide an update on the province’s injury situation on Thursday. Tadhg Beirne, player of the series for the Lions, should be back “in and around the Leinster match” in round four. It’s about ensuring that the Kildare native comes back refreshed after a brilliant sequence of displays in Australia.
One of the new recruits to impress in training and preseason friendlies is centre Dan Kelly. The former Ireland Under-20 international also has a single cap for England to his name, but he now qualifies to play Test rugby for Ireland.
Leamy said of Kelly: “Yeah, very impressed, he’s a big presence. He knows the game really well, speaks very well on and off the pitch. I think he’s added huge value to our sessions on both sides of the wall. He’s a player that’ll get plenty of opportunities to show the fans how good he is.”
The retirements of Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Stephen Archer means that the province have lost a fair old whack of rugby IP. Leamy says their replacements have to stand up and step up.
He continued: “It’s the natural cycle of playing squads, isn’t it? Players move on all the time. Players aren’t always ready to just step into the shoes of someone like Stephen Archer or Peter O’Mahony or Conor Murray, but the reality is an awful lot of work has gone into people like [scrumhalves] Paddy Patterson, Ethan Coughlan, these types of players.
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“[Look at] the backrow [and] Brian Gleeson [and] Ruadhán Quinn – these guys have been around a number of years. It’s their time to put their best foot forward. It’s their opportunity to go on and create something and leave a lasting legacy in the jersey, just like the fellas we mentioned.”
Munster’s defence coach fulfilled a similar role for Ireland during their two summer Tests in Tbilisi and Lisbon, alongside Munster attack coach Mike Prendergast and under the head coaching baton of Paul O’Connell.
“You’re always trying to get better and better,” he said. “To be exposed to that level was a great chance for me and Mikey [Prendergast] to work with the best players in Ireland and obviously see players from the other provinces.
“Being exposed to someone like Paul O’Connell as a head coach and how he demands and drives people on in a very positive way, in a very knowledgeable way was a really good experience for us.”
