It may be brief respite from chasing points on a table on which they are further from the top than they want to be as Munster change gears this weekend with the visit of an All Blacks XV.
The visitors are already up and running and trained at Garryowen’s Dooradoyle grounds on Tuesday to begin preparations for Saturday’s Thomond Park meeting that kicks off at 5.30pm.
Given the last few days and the end of Graham Rowntree’s tenure as coach, Munster — despite the installation of Ian Costello as interim head coach — are in flux but find themselves in a position to pause domestic concerns for one week and commit to a one-off shot at restoration of the glory days. That shift in focus to a bigger but less consequential challenge might be no bad thing.
Both starting teams will be named on Thursday but the All Blacks XV have made changes to their squad in advance of the match and after beating Japan last week.
Corey Kellow (Crusaders), Devan Flanders (Hurricanes), Caleb Delaney (Hurricanes) and Simon Parker (Chiefs) have been named in the All Blacks XV squad, replacing Peter Lakai and Josh Lord, who join the squad preparing to play England at Twickenham on Saturday, and the injured Emoni Narawa and Hoskins Sotutu.
Ruben Love, who earned his first All Blacks cap in the win over Japan, will also join the squad, which All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson says is to give him the chance of more game time in advance of the Aviva Stadium meeting Ireland next week. Six of the All Blacks XV players who travelled with the side to Japan have also rejoined the squad in Ireland.
One small mercy there is the team that faces England will have just a six-day turnaround before meeting Ireland the following Friday night in Dublin.
“We are keen to keep the momentum going for Ruben, following his impressive All Blacks debut against Japan,” Robertson told the New Zealand Rugby. “This is one of the benefits of having both teams in the northern hemisphere at the same time; it creates more opportunities for a greater number of players to gain international experience and valuable game time.”
Does Munster’s new coach need to be Irish?
Munster’s storied past against touring sides has generally had an upswing effect and going into big matches missing their Irish players, who are in camp, has also had a galvanising influence. Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Conor Murray and Calvin Nash are in Portugal for warm-weather training, while Alex Kendellen is one of five training panellists picked by Andy Farrell.
But since the redevelopment of Thomond Park in 2008, Munster have hosted a variety of international opposition from the All Blacks, Australia and the Māori All Blacks to the sold-out clash against South Africa A in Cork’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2022, the first rugby match ever held at the GAA stadium.
This weekend Munster will be looking for more of that 2022 energy after a sensational performance saw the Irish province post a historic 28-14 victory over the South Africans in sweeping rain.
That was to be one of Rowntree’s great nights with Munster, as his side was light eight international players who were in Ireland camp, with a further 12 unavailable through injury. Still, a remarkable performance and victory it was in front of 41,400 fans, the biggest crowd to have watched rugby in the province of Munster.
Munster have had six victories and two draws over touring international sides from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa going back to 1958 when they drew 3-3 with Australia in Thomond Park. Then 20 years later they became the first Irish side to beat the All Blacks in 1978, an achievement not matched by a men’s side until Ireland beat the them in Chicago in 2016.
There is much to sort out in Munster in terms of who the new coach will be and how that will impact on players. Some of the current squad will have got on well with Rowntree, others not so. That dynamic will change when a new personality arrives with former captain Paul O’Connell the 15-8 favourite.
Former Munster player and two-time World Cup winning coach with the Springboks Felix Jones follows at 7-2, Jerry Flannery and Mike Prendergast are 4-1 and Ronan O’Gara 5-1.
Whatever the fault lines were that caused Rowntree’s departure, Munster must revert to type and discover a way of tapping into their old gnarly DNA. The match against the All Blacks XV is just the kind of against-the-odds challenge that can generate the inspirational character that has fuelled wins against international teams in the past. Then kick on.
It’s a chance to show how adversity becomes them and show fans that the last thing Munster want or need when the United Rugby Championship resumes is a pity party vibe that will derail the entire season.
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