Munster rarely make it easy for themselves and so it is that the continuation of their season hinges upon them ending the 18-match unbeaten home run of an in-form Glasgow side on Saturday night. Backs to the wall yet again.
Yet at various junctures this season to have secured a top-five finish, and maintain their unbroken 29-year stay in the Champions Cup, would have been interpreted as a positive first campaign under Graham Rowntree.
Munster lost five of their first seven matches, including defeats away to Cardiff and the Dragons, as well as three interpro derbies, and failed to register a bonus point at home to Zebre after scoring three tries in the first half.
The new broom being introduced by Rowntree, Mike Prendergast and Denis Leamy were compounded by the Emerging Ireland tour. They’ve been playing catch-up ever since, according to their former outhalf Ian Keatley, Munster’s second highest points scorer of all time with a haul of 1,247, second only to some bloke called O’Gara, whose 2,571 looks unreachable forever more.
“They got a bit of criticism and everybody is talking about Joey [Carbery] not playing well, but Joey is obviously a classy player. Usually when the team doesn’t go well, the ‘10′ doesn’t go well, and people sometimes see it that if the ‘10′ doesn’t go well then the team doesn’t go well. It’s a chicken and egg.”
Keatley points out that Jack Crowley is still only 22, and it’s also worth noting that in part due to Covid he has only started 16 games for Munster.
“Jack is still learning his trade. He’s shown glimpses of his quality and classiness. He’ll still make mistakes and do some unbelievable stuff. Talking to him, he absolutely loves rugby. He talks rugby constantly, and it’s great to see a young guy like that.
“He’s one for the future, but everyone is asking: ‘Is Joey done now?’ Honestly, apart from injuries, this is his first hiccup since he became a professional rugby player. He has to take it on the chin this season but he’s going to bounce back next season.
“I know myself. One of the achievements of my career is that I was down and out. I really wanted to just give up rugby, and to come back and be first choice for Munster, and play for Ireland, was one of the highlights of my career because of the position I was in.
“So, I think Joey will bounce back and I think Jack and Joey will make a good old partnership in years to come.”
Keatley was speaking to The Irish Times before taking his last training session of the season as head coach at UL Bohemians, who host Dungannon in a Division 2A/2B promotion/relegation final on Saturday.
He’s also coaching Glenstal, is kicking coach with the Munster academy and works with the National Talent Squad , akin to the Munster sub academy.
“It’s the only way. I’m learning so much, and I learned so much from guys like Rassie, Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell, or Kieran Crowley. Then you learn other stuff that you think ‘I wouldn’t do that’. Then I’m trying to blend all of this into my own coaching philosophy so it’s organic, doing different things week in, week out.
“You have to get to know the players. There’s such a difference between a school player and a club player, and then a guy who’s in the academy.”
For Keatley, the win over a South African selection in Páirc Uí Chaoimh was a vital source of confidence, and as results improved sharply (10 wins out of 13) even the performances didn’t dip in one-score losses to Toulouse (twice) and Leinster.
He believes the slow start was entirely understandable, given a completely new game plan and a new training structure.
“Their training before under Johann [van Graan] was very stop-start, trying to get the detail right. This season they’ve trained at a whole new intensity. It’s on the go, and there were a lot of skill errors in training but because they were trying to keep the tempo in training that was reflected in the matches until they got used to that.
“But in fairness to Graham, he believed it was the right way forward. He even said: ‘Look we have to go through this little bad patch to get through to the other side’, and they did that eventually.”
Their former outhalf has seen Munster’s attack evolve, notably in one aspect: in the manner wingers like Calvin Nash and Shane Daly have become more involved.
“They’re getting off their wings and on the ball, but also they’re link players. They’ve become a lot more creative. You can see this with Mack Hansen and James Lowe, gone are the days when the wings stay on the wings and score the tries.
“What they’re trying to do is create that extra number by getting off their wing and beating their defender across to the other wing. It’s called swinging; wings swinging to the other side of the pitch trying to create that overlap.”
Keatley has also detected what he calls “simplicity” in Munster’s attacking game, such as the first two players to the clear-out targeting would-be poachers to create more space around the edges and generate quicker ball.
The consistent run of performances came to a shuddering halt six weeks ago with that 38-26 defeat at home by Glasgow. Keatley, who joined the Warriors for the second half of the 2020-21 season, has an interesting take on that jarring setback.
“It’s kind of funny, a lot of the players in there [Munster] have kind of forgotten about the rivalry they’ve had with Glasgow over the years. Some of those lads wouldn’t have been involved in the Glasgow matches,” says Keatley in reference to the Warriors winning the semi-final of this competition in 2014 and the final a year later, nor the couple of bad-tempered Champions Cup duels in 2016-17.
“When I joined Glasgow two years ago, they always talked about the rivalry with Munster, and I think that shocked Munster in that match. Glasgow brought that interpro intensity and they didn’t do anything special.
“They got two-man hits and slowed down Munster’s ball, and kept their own ball alive and kept their speed up at the breakdown. It doesn’t sound like rocket science but they executed it perfectly and Munster looked like they were chasing shadows, but I think it will be a lot closer on Saturday.
“They’ll be hurting from that loss in Thomond Park, and it’s going to be some game. I think it’s going to be physical, with a lot of little niggly fights and a good old match.”
Keatley believes the ripple effects of that defeat were felt in the 50-35 Champions Cup round of 16 beating by the Sharks but also feels that Munster will be in a good state of mind after their comebacks to beat the Stormers and draw with the Sharks in what was, he says, a rewarding trip.
He also points out that Munster ended the Stormers’ 21-match winning home run, but of Glasgow he admits: “I rate them very highly.
“As I got to know them, do you know what? The similarities between Munster and Glasgow, and the two cultures, even the morale in the squad and the jokes, are so alike. And that’s probably why they have this little cross-water rivalry.
“They have so many similar traits. When I got over there they made me so welcome. There’s a lot of good genuine guys there who got to know me and made a really big effort.
“Ryan Wilson, probably the guy that everyone hates over here in Munster, is their captain and leads by example. He makes time and effort to know the players, no matter where you’re from, what age you are. He’s a real leader. I made a few friends for life there. They’re really good people.”
He also underlines the influence of Franco Smith as well as his assistants Nigel Carolan, Peter Murchie and Peter Horne.
“It’s a really exciting brand to watch. It’s like Glasgow back in 2015 when they won the Pro12, and they’ve a lot of Scottish internationals there who can do damage.”
It could be said that Munster are now in bonus territory, and with a semi-final away to their Leinster bugbearers or yet another trek to Durban against the Sharks, little wonder they are relative outsiders at 17-2 to win the URC.
“Ah, you’re talking to a Munster man here. They’re not going to be happy with a quarter-final. If they lose this weekend they’ll be gutted. Whoever loses this weekend it’s a long old wait to the start of next season.
“I know it may seem a bit rich given they haven’t won a trophy since 2011 but Munster’s goals at the start of every season are to win silverware. That’s why the players put so much pressure on themselves.
“You have to aim that way if you’re in this sport, otherwise if you set your goals too low you’re not going to achieve anything.”
And that hasn’t changed. They’re still Munster after all.
