Duo up front on set-piece debate

HEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINAL MUNSTER v LEINSTER:ONE OF the few crumbs of comfort Leinster took from their 22-3 beating in Thomond Park three weeks ago was their aggression at the breakdown – where their plentiful array of pilferers and counter-rucking contributed to nine turnovers in the tackle area in the first half alone – and their scrummaging.

There’s a theory about, put forth by the inestimable Stuart Barnes no less, that for Leinster to have a realistic chance of upsetting the seven-point and 5 to 2 odds against them, they need to target the Munster set-pieces a la Leicester at Thomond Park two seasons ago, and come out on top there.

It certainly appeared as if the Leinster frontrow had a decent enough evening three weeks ago, Cian Healy and Stanley Wright augmenting their work at scrum time with a high share of ball carries. Of the respective number eights or scrumhalves, Leinster’s enjoyed a better platform.

Often to their intense irritation, Marcus Horan and Jerry Flannery have heard it all before, of course, and that’s not, apparently, the way they saw it. When informed Leinster had been a little chipper about their work in the scrums last time out, Horan almost wearily commented: “I didn’t know that. The scrums? It was a pretty tough battle up front, as usual. You’re always trying to get one over against people you know, people you play with. It will definitely be a tough battle, an important part of the game on Saturday, a launch pad for attacking for both sides, so from that aspect, (it’s) very important for both sides.”

Munster coach Tony McGahan also appeared a little non-plussed by this perception from the game three weeks ago, and said there was no extra scrummaging this week and, as with pretty much every other time the vexed issue of Munster’s/Ireland’s scrum has been publicly debated, the answer the ensuing Saturday has usually been fairly emphatic. Either way, you sense raising the issue probably hasn’t done Leinster any favours.

“We’re always looking to improve in every area,” said Flannery. “We won the game but we were always going to be fairly critical when we came back to watch it afterwards. I don’t think it’s a big issue for us but if Leinster were talking about it after the game as a positive to take out of it, that’s for them but it’s not an issue for us.”

The perception, also, is both sides are a good deal more relaxed compared to the frenzied three-week build-up to the Mother of all All-Ireland Battles, Part One, three years ago. Then, the intervening couple of Magners League games seemed almost an incidental distraction when, for what it’s worth, Leinster maintained the form they had shown over Toulouse with scratchy but successive bonus-point wins over the Borders (35-34) and Llanelli (30-22), while Munster regrouped from a 23-17 loss away to the Dragons by beating Edinburgh 36-15.

Less so this time, with Munster especially keeping their focus on the league, which they could win this evening if the Ospreys don’t secure a bonus-point win against the Dragons. Even so, the weight of expectation is heavy, according to Horan. “From the players’ point of view there’s huge pressure, huge expectation from supporters first of all. There are new challenges, you talk about playing big teams in Europe but when it’s a big team and they’re so close to home it’s even more difficult, we know each other so well.

“This year especially it’s unique, in terms of what we’ve achieved together as a group, with Ireland, and then we split up and have to go at each other again. It’s a unique thing, and a real test of players’ professionalism, how you approach the game.

“It is a difficult challenge for both sides, and speaking from our side of things, it’s difficult to play a team three times in one season and try to come out on top. That’s a massive challenge for us but one we’re willing to take on.”

Injury ruled Horan out of the semi-final three years ago, while Flannery’s memory of the game is of it being much closer than now widely believed. “When I think back on that, people seem to think it was a whitewash, whereas in reality the scoreboard flattered us. Anyone who was watching could see we were constantly under pressure and internally, on the Munster side, we were aware Leinster had the kind of players who could pull scores out of anywhere. It was only when we got a few late scores we could feel comfortable.

“I think Leinster have progressed again from that game, they’ve beefed up their pack considerably and we saw that in their quarter-final win over Quins. We’re taking nothing for granted.”

Rather less credibly, Horan maintains the familiarity between the two sets of players will not lead to plenty of, eh, “banter” on the pitch. “There’s friendships there but once you cross the line there’s too much respect there for something like that. There’s a huge amount at stake . . . There’s a huge respect there, I think all the talking is done with your actions on the field, and that’s solely because of the respect we have for each other.”

Maybe so, but even Alan Quinlan? “No, even he doesn’t say very much,” said Horan, smiling.

Of course he doesn’t. Quiet as a church mouse, Mr Quinlan.