MUNSTER’S WIN OVER Leinster on Friday evening was notable not only for an excellent collective performance from Anthony Foley’s team, but also the strong individual displays of a number of the Munster players.
Joe Schmidt will have been an interested spectator of the inter-pro derby, and while he certainly has his strongest 15 [and possibly 23] already in mind for the Six Nations, men like Tommy O’Donnell and Ian Keatley did themselves a world of good.
Here, we pick out three Munster players whose strong recent form continued against Leinster at Thomond Park.
Tommy O’Donnell
It was a shame to see Munster’s openside flanker departing on the 50-minute mark with a laceration to the face, even if it did allow Dave O’Callaghan to prosper as his back row replacement.
O’Donnell squeezed a huge amount of work into his time on the pitch, making more than 10 aggressive tackles and carrying the ball effectively for Munster. His leg drive in both aspects of the game demonstrated the Tipperary man’s motivation for the tie.
Fresh from involvement in the Ireland camp earlier in the week, O’Donnell evidently felt this was as good a time as any to underline his excellent run of form for the province.
One of the standout features of the flanker’s outing against Leinster was his carrying in narrow channels, as in the example below.
Oftentimes, Munster have a narrow focus in their attack, especially when they get into the opposition’s defensive third of the pitch.
That concentration was even more intense against Leinster on Friday, matching the blueprint used in the win over Matt O’Connor’s team in Dublin in October. Once again, O’Donnell played his part and got the donkey work done.
We see above how the Ireland international runs right through Ian Madigan with a strong left forearm, then fights back to his feet to make as many extra metres as he possibly can, something that was repeated throughout the fixture.
O’Donnell is an excellent athlete and although he has trimmed down this season in terms of weight, he remains powerful in contact.
Above, O’Donnell pumps his legs again to win the gainline against Mike McCarthy, having shifted his feet nicely pre-contact to make it a slightly more favourable collision. The support of the arriving Stephen Archer and Donncha O’Callaghan helps too.
It all adds up to providing clean ball for Duncan Williams. This particular carry by O’Donnell comes directly from the Munster scrum-half’s pass and again it’s an important area of the Munster attack.
Carrying into bodies in these tight channels is not a glamorous job, but O’Donnell has performed it well all season.
Defensively, the 27-year-old was equally as effective against Leinster, using his power to great effect to shut down the visitors’ attack on a number of occasions.
We get a particularly decisive illustration above, as O’Donnell sprints forward on the outside edge of the Munster defensive line to close off Richardt Strauss’ passing option.
The Leinster hooker has three players outside him, with just two Munster defenders in good positions to cover them, so any release of the ball by Strauss would likely have been very costly for Foley’s side.
This is exactly the type of strong decision that defence coach Ian Costello wants his Munster charges to make, respecting the system as often as possible but acting swiftly when an individual play is needed.
O’Donnell has been consistently effective in his rucking this season too, and there was a continuation of that against Leinster, even if the impression was that the Cahir man had fewer ruck involvements than usual.
Still, what O’Donnell did around the rucks was clinical, as in the instance below.
Here, O’Donnell drives Madigan well clear of the ruck, around two full metres beyond the point from where Williams begins the next phase of play. Again, it’s an aspect of the game Munster and O’Donnell consistently do well.
It serves to open up the ruck for the arriving scrum-half, allowing him to move the ball away under less pressure. Furthermore, when Munster do click into their narrow attacking focus with pick and jams, it means the defensive players are compromised.
Even with the ball having been spun away by Williams in the shot above, we can see the little chinks of space in front of Munster at the ruck. Nothing gaping, but more space if they were to pick and drive immediately.
Finally, it’s worth briefly mentioning that O’Donnell added in two passes in the clash with Leinster. While an excellent athlete, as previously noted, the Tipp man also possesses strong skills and it may be something Munster look to more often in the future.
There’s not too much in O’Donnell’s two-metre pass above, but it’s accurate and demonstrates some of the elements Munster have looked to add to their approach in recent times.
This type of linking pass is something we’ve seen more of from Foley’s men, and a player with good skills, such as O’Donnell, adds to Munster’s ability to progress with these types of mini-plays.
Ian Keatley
Munster’s out-half muscled his way to third place in Ireland’s pecking order in November, and his performance opposite Ian Madigan on Friday night may have closed the gap in that standing.
The sense is that Madigan will remain second-choice number 10 behind Johnny Sexton for Ireland, given his existing relationship with the head coach, but further displays like this one will keep Keatley firmly in the frame.
The 27-year-old has been playing with some confidence over the last two months, and like O’Donnell seems to be benefiting from having a point to prove within the Ireland set-up.
His display against Leinster was filled with variety, both in terms of passing, kicking and running the ball. The linebreak below was one of the major highlights of the 80 minutes in Limerick, even if Munster scored no points as a result of it.
The shape from Munster is identical to that which we highlighted when discussing O’Donnell’s ability to pass the ball earlier. This time, tighthead prop Archer is the man to release the pill out the back door to Keatley.
From there, the out-half’s vision takes over. It’s not a particularly favourable situation at an uneducated glance. Leinster appear to have bodies in position to prevent any Munster breakout, but Keatley identifies the weakness.
Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong, one of the less mobile players on the pitch, is situated in Leinster’s midfield, providing Keatley with the kind of mismatch that backs are constantly on the lookout for.
The out-half shows no hesitation after getting his head up and scanning the scenario in a split second. Keatley cuts an outside arc to burst past Furlong then keeps a cool head to hit Felix Jones with a switch pass to make up more metres.
The excellent contribution concludes with Keatley adding his weight to the subsequent ruck.
Former Connacht playmaker Keatley has long been a running threat and is very robust as a carrier. Munster possibly haven’t got as much from him in that regard as they might have wished, although not through the fault of the player.
Keatley wins the gainline with his carry above, showing that burst of acceleration and strength to ride the tackle we’ve alluded to.
However, his primary concern as an out-half is generally remaining in control of Munster’s phase play. Entering contact himself potentially leaves Munster without a player to direct their attack or kicking game.
That said, the promotion of Conor Murray and Duncan Williams into primary playmaking roles at scrum-half this season is allowing Keatley more freedom, while the recent involvement of JJ Hanrahan at inside centre has done the same.
Friday night saw Keatley give one of his strongest kicking displays of the season in open play. Mixing his game between high bombs and low, diagonal sweeper kicks like the one below, Keatley manipulated Leinster’s back three.
Darragh Fanning and Dave Kearney on the Leinster wings never got to grips with Keatley’s tactical kicking at Thomond Park, allowing Munster to be dominant in the territorial battle, particularly in the first half.
It’s something Foley’s side are always intent on controlling and in that regard, the ever-improving kicking from hand of Keatley is hugely encouraging.
One of the lesser-lauded aspects of Keatley’s play is his passing, which has been strong all season. Against Leinster, the out-half was again inventive and understanding in his pass selection.
Andrew Conway’s try in the second half was perhaps more about the wing’s running line and determination [which we'll return to], but the deft touch Keatley provided was ideal in facilitating the score.
Again, Keatley had a strong awareness of what was happening in Leinster’s defence. This time, the chink was created by Gordon D’Arcy biting in on the Munster out-half, opening the space outside for Conway to burst into.
It’s simple catch and pass, but Keatley carries out the skill with perfect timing to get the ball away before D’Arcy can hit him in possession. There was a further linebreak assist for Keatley later in the game and it was down to strong pass selection again.
Overall, Keatley had a hugely positive evening, one which can’t have failed to impress Schmidt in the lead-up to the 2015 Six Nations.
Andrew Conway
Munster head coach Anthony Foley spoke earlier this season of his belief that Conway deserved to be involved with Ireland and although the Dublin native was not named in Schmidt’s November Tests squad, he did train at Carton House last month.
The 23-year-old is having an excellent campaign for Munster, demonstrating an improved work rate and greater physical presence.
As a youth, Conway was a dazzling, linebreaking wing, but the top levels of the professional game are a very different proposition. While the former Blackrock man still possesses excellent footwork and pace, he has adapted as necessary.
One element of that adaptation has been the kick chase, now an integral part of any wing’s duties. Conway has performed superbly in this aspect of play for Munster all season, with the example above somewhat typical.
Even when Conway doesn’t win the ball, as he does over Dave Kearney here, he consistently gets himself off the ground to compete. It’s a minimum requirement from Schmidt for his back three, meaning Conway is on the right track.
Also chief among Schmidt’s expectations for his wings is involvement at ruck time. The likes of Kearney and Andrew Trimble have been in favour partly because of their effectiveness in contributing to the rucks, and Conway is of the same mould.
We get an example above, as Conway arrives in to clear Zane Kirchner away from the ball after Pat Howard goes to deck. This rucking effort by Conway comes just a few phases before he scores his try; Schmidt might call it karma.
We’ve already seen that score from Conway, but it’s worth briefly pointing out what the Munster wing does well.
Similarly to Keatley, Conway identifies D’Arcy’s defensive error and exploits it to maximal effect. His line is short off Keatley, on the inside shoulder of Darragh Fanning and into space.
His acceleration is impressive, helping him to drive all the way through the tackles attempts of Fanning, Shane Jennings, Isaac Boss and Kearney, his potential rival for a place within the Ireland squad.
Hands up
Like O’Donnell and Keatley, fullback Felix Jones featured for Ireland in the November Tests, although he would have obviously preferred a more prominent role. Should his excellent provincial form continue, that may happen over the next year.
Elsewhere, Duncan Casey continues to grow at hooker, with his technical excellence being backed up by increasingly powerful displays in the tight. The 24-year-old lacks the experience of some of his rivals for Ireland honours, but Schmidt will surely have taken note of the former Glenstal man’s progress.
The likes of Paul O’Connell, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray are clearly well established as important cogs in Schmidt’s Ireland machine, but the next tier of Munster players are putting their hands up for further involvement.
