Munster Rugby season preview: A battle awaits week in, week out

Prospects

As their search for a first title since the 2011 Magners League triumph extends into an 11th season, no Irish team will have a quicker appreciation of the heightened difficulty in acquiring silverware than Munster.

Eight of their first 10 games in the United Rugby Championship are against the four South African franchises and four rival Irish provinces. Making a reprise of last season’s flying start - when they won their first nine matches in both competitions - all the harder. Their other two matches are in Wales, against the Scarlets and improving Ospreys.

“There’s no perceived easy games, there’s not a lot of games where you can put out a perceived second-string team - this is going to be a battle week in, week out,” forewarned van Graan.

He cites, as a case in point, Saturday’s opener against a battle-hardened Sharks side who reached the Currie Cup final two weeks ago, followed by the Stormers a week later. “This is our first hit-out of the season. It’s a massive challenge for us from an intensity and fitness point of view,” admits van Graan.

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What’s more, immediately after the November international window Munster face the trek to South Africa for matches against the Bulls and Lions in the fortnight before their Champions Cup games against Wasps and at home to old foes Castres - unbeaten after three rounds in the Top 14, including a 34-30 win away to Clermont.

Recall, after all, how their two-week South African safari undermined Munster’s preparations for their European semi-final defeat against Racing four seasons ago.

Van Graan admits this segment of the season will be particularly challenging, and it’s hard to see how their Irish frontliners will be able to squeeze in travelling to South Africa.

Thomond Park is as ill-suited to an empty backdrop as any ground in the global game

After all, just a week later Munster will also want to put their best foot forward for their marquee home fixture against Leinster on St Stephen’s day before two more festive derbies and the return European games in what is the meat of their season.

With some validity, Johann van Graan points out that they won 20 of their 25 matches last season for a winning return of 80 per cent, which was a marked improvement on their previous three campaigns, and they only came up short in the Pro14 final against Leinster and the European Cup last 16 tie against Toulouse, the eventual winners.

While Munster’s away form improved in the absence of fans, Thomond Park is as ill-suited to an empty backdrop as any ground in the global game, and it will assuredly have an impact on their performances for those European nights and that Christmas derby against Leinster.

Even so, the nature of those defeats didn’t entirely dispel the feeling that for all Munster’s undoubted consistency their lack of real ballast up front and cutting edge comes up just short against the elite teams, that sides such as Leinster and Toulouse can go to another level. Although within the squad, they feel those defeats showed how close they are to lifting silverware.

“We’re not going to disregard what we did last season. We found a good balance in our game,” maintained van Graan.

The retirements of CJ Stander, Billy Holland and Tommy O’Donnell (590 Munster caps between them) have also shorn them of three long-standing leaders, not to mention Stander’s ridiculous durability and numbers.

Jason Jenkins will need to prove a good acquisition, although at least Gavin Coombes looks primed to inherit that iconic number '8' mantle and the return of RG Snyman will be like a new signing, albeit Damian de Allende will also be a missing midfield focal point until at least December.

With James Cronin and JJ Hanrahan released, Munster's back-up to David Kilcoyne and Joey Carbery (both of whom will presumably spend a fair amount of time on Ireland duty) looks a little callow. Some of them will also be required to make significant strides this season.

Striking the right balance there and elsewhere, and ultimately lifting a trophy, would eclipse even the 2011 triumph

Munster look comparatively well stocked in the secondrow, where Thomas Ahern looks a serious prospect, and backrow, and that is certainly true of the back three following the uplifting and prodigal return of their all-time leading try scorer Simon Zebo.

Van Graan and Larkham certainly won’t be short of options, with the international quintet of Zebo, Mike Haley, Keith Earls, Andrew Conway and Shane Daly are among nine outside backs listed in their 47-man squad.

Striking the right balance there and elsewhere, and ultimately lifting a trophy, would eclipse even the 2011 triumph, and any since.

Men in charge

Munster are the most settled of the four provinces. Van Graan enters his fourth full season, and fifth overall, seemingly with the prospect of another contract extension, while Graham Rowntree’s commitment to the cause is evidenced by him rejecting overtures from Warren Gatland to be a part of the Lions ticket. Despite talk of interest from the Waratahs, as expected Stephen Larkham has also stayed put and has had another pre-season to apply his imprint.

Players In

Rowan Osborne (Leinster), Jason Jenkins (Toyota Verblitz), Simon Zebo (Racing 92), Paddy Patterson (Leinster), Declan Moore (Sydney University), Jake Flannery, James French, Seán French, Ben Healy, John Hodnett, Thomas Ahern, Jack Crowley, Jack Daly, Josh Wycherely, (all promoted from Academy).

Players Out

Nick McCarthy (Leinster), Billy Holland (retired), Alex Wootton (Connacht), CJ Stander (retired), JJ Hanrahan (Clermont), Tommy O’Donnell (retired), James Cronin (Biarritz), (Rhys Marshall (North Harbour).

Key Man

Joey Carbery. The gifted 26-year-old showed definite signs of his best rugby in those six end-of-season starts after a 16-month absence from the game, for which allowances have to be made, and then his restorative summer Tests with Ireland. If Munster are to scale the heights this season, one ventures that a healthy and in-form Carbery will be crucial, all the more so with no Hanrahan as back-up.

“It’s the first time in a few years that he’s actually had a pre-season. He had a good break, I felt he finished those two Test matches really well. He had a rest, he’s refreshed and really confident,” said van Graan.

“There’s nothing left in terms of injury or worrying about injury, he was just a normal player having a good pre-season with the international lads when he joined.”