MUNSTER v LEINSTER INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS WHITAKERTHE PROBLEM with labels is they tend to stick. Like a cruel nickname. If a pilot crashes a plane the thousand safe landings beforehand are quickly forgotten when it comes to penning his obituary. Ronan O'Gara is hardly the best defender around but for every missed tackle there is usually a decisive penalty or drop goal that more than compensates.
Chris Whitaker’s stout defending belies his 12st frame but he has not been so lucky.
The Australian scrumhalf joined Leinster in the aftermath of the 2006 Heineken Cup semi-final defeat to Munster. Owner of 31 Wallaby caps, he would have buckets more only for George Gregan – the greatest of Aussie number nines.
The stigma Whitaker can’t shake off is his laboured service. A scrumhalf known for hesitant delivery quickly becomes a curse. Peter Stringer could play a dozen games without hitting his outhalf cleanly but can safely retire with his reputation as a bullet passer secure.
That said, there is rarely smoke without fire.
Whitaker was thrown a career lifeline last year when Eoin Reddan opted to stay under the noses of the Lions management at Wasps. In the meantime he held off the claims of Chris Keane and Paul O’Donohoe mainly due to a vast reservoir of experience and natural leadership qualities (he is vice-captain along with Shane Jennings).
Whitaker, like most southern hemisphere halfbacks, tends to take a few lateral steps before offloading. The point is to fix the fringe defence with the threat of a break or reverse pass to the likes of Rocky Elsom or Cian Healy and, in turn, allow the outhalf scope to unleash his three quarters.
The Leinster backline has long been a joy to watch, especially when Felipe Contepomi and Brian O’Driscoll combine, off-the-cuff, in open play.
The problem is the 34-year-old Whitaker rarely tests the close-in defenders anymore, and in the big games ball presentation is hardly on a platter, forcing him to move away from the breakdown with the end result being heaps of pressure piled upon the second receiver.
This is normally being the outhalf, of which Leinster have used three this season, starting with Jonathan Sexton then Isa Nacewa before shifting Felipe Contepomi back to pivot once Gordon D’Arcy regained fitness and form.
Reddan is finally arriving this summer and Whitaker (yet to confirm his actual retirement) will depart but with the biggest game since Leinster lost to Munster in 2006 taking place tomorrow Whitaker was asked to address the barrage of criticism that has come his way, most recently from Leinster and Lions legend Fergus Slattery.
“I have answered this question before,” he starts with a wry smile. “You hear criticism. That is the way the game is. The game has grown so much and it is probably a good thing that so many people are taking an interest.
“You are bound to cop criticism. The people you listen to most will be your team-mates and, after that, your coaches. Then other people whose opinions you respect.”
Was this problem ever evident before he crossed the equator? “I have always got criticism so that is nothing new. A lot goes on in the game. It is not just about what goes on on the field. There are bits outside it.
“I have played for some coaches who demanded that I take two or three steps every time before I pass it just to keep one or two defenders interested.
“It is obviously about getting the right balance. I daresay it is something I have been working on and it obviously gets to you, the criticism, but you have got to move forward and do your best for the team.”
Seeking a better explanation, we wonder why he continues with the current approach. Teaching an old dog new tricks springs to mind but, as the man explains, it is not that simple.
“It all depends on the situation. If the ball is on the deck ready to go then there are no steps taken but, if you are digging in for the ball all the time, you have got to dig it out and then take a step to pass it. That is just the way the game is.
“You see a lot of half-backs pick it up and try to attack the one or two defenders close in as well. It’s about knowing when to do those things.”
It should be noted that Whitaker remains a prized asset. Against Harlequins in the quarter-final he rose, bloodied, from a collision zone that Harlequins initiated to a bout of back-slapping from the Leinster forwards, having secured a vital penalty.
Initially preparing for a duel with a quasi-flanker, until Tomás O’Leary sustained that horrific injury, Stringer will be snapping at his wrists all afternoon. The Munster pack are sure to make him a primary target.
Chris Whitaker, the much maligned Leinster scrumhalf, has seen enough to know what is coming.
