Players have no place to hide. The data from GPS trackers and a laptop screen, which captures and displays multiple camera angles, supplement what the coaches see in the real time panoramic view from seats in the stand.
An additional layer of scrutiny is tagged on if a coach is a former elite player. The return of Mike Prendergast to Munster, once a scrumhalf now the new backs coach, means those that wear the nine jersey are aware that the boss is familiar with the position specific requirements.
Paddy Patterson has impressed during preseason friendlies, including a tr- scoring display against London Irish, and was rewarded with the starting role for Munster against Cardiff in the continued absence of Conor Murray and Craig Casey.
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The 23-year-old Dubliner made a couple of sharp breaks in a tidy display with perhaps one or two decisions to grubber kick that hindsight might cause him to revise. When asked to grade his own performance, Patterson ventured “a six or seven maybe. I thought I did alright, made a few breaks but the passing was a bit off the odd time.
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“Obviously, we had a few problems with the breakdown, but I could have got in a bit quicker.” He pointed out that some of the requirements in the role of scrumhalf has changed from last season when Stephen Larkham was backs coach.
“I have always loved the running game, but my role is probably changed a bit the season with Prendy [Mike Prendergast] coming in. The emphasis is on getting in and moving the ball as quickly as possible; so quick breakdowns, moving the ball, moving the point of contact. I am trying to work on that, it is my main focus at the moment and if gaps open up then I will try and make the breaks.
“He [Prendergast] loves walking around with his laptop, it’s glued to him. He’s obsessed with rugby, that’s what I can take from him. He’s just always going around, giving us different scenarios and giving us tips throughout the day. He never turns it off.”
The shift in style has placed an emphasis on being fitter and faster, something on which Patterson continues to work hard as both he and the team transition. There is also a change to Munster’s kicking game. He explained: “Last year we would have primarily been [about] contestable [kicking].
“I would’ve worked on ‘contestables’ the whole time but this season, as I’m sure you saw on Saturday, we are more ‘long and on’ is what we say, trying to kick it deep and then get a big chase line. So just change in style and kicking. To be honest I find the ‘long and on’ probably a bit easier. It is less technical, and I enjoy that a bit more.”
It’s almost two years since Patterson left the Leinster academy for Munster, initially summoned on a short-term loan as Murray and Casey were required by Ireland and Neil Cronin had suffered an injury.
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He recalled: “Noel McNamara, who was [then] the head of the academy in Leinster, came to me and said there was an opportunity down here. So I jumped at it, came straight down and I was down here for about two weeks originally and sort of signed on for the rest of the season.
“I then joined the [Munster] academy at the start of last season, had a full year, and then into the senior squad now.” People ask him about the differences between the Leinster and Munster set-ups: “It is just different people but the same structure every day, slightly different culture but not too different. Same sort of craic in the dressing-room.”
It is not in his nature to be deferential, so he is happy to challenge his scrumhalf rivals at Munster. He said: “It’s just about being competitive in training. It is very tough, it is competitive.
“We train against each other and obviously we’re trying to beat each other so whenever I get a chance, just put my mark on the game and try to be competitive in that sense and put some pressure on them as best I can.”
Patterson possesses the predatory instincts of a scrumhalf constantly scanning for gaps and has the footwork and strength to maximise those opportunities. If he continues to polish the other aspects of his game, he’ll pose a serious challenge to the established pecking order.
