Gordon D’Arcy: Rowntree facing tough decisions in key positions for Munster

Some of my happiest memories relate to my days in schools rugby, matches played in the company of friends bonded by a common goal, one that refused to dilute or compromise a commitment to an expansive style of rugby in the pursuit of winning. We played to play; winning was a byproduct.

In Clongowes we were never the biggest in physique or in terms of numbers but that simply encouraged us to play with the head as well as the heart. The long, dark, cold, winter afternoons and evenings on the pitches were a downpayment on the possibility of getting a run in the provincial schools’ cups. We were happy to subscribe without a single guarantee.

I experienced both ends of the emotional spectrum in losing and ultimately winning but the thing I cherish most is that as team-mates we experienced those diverse feelings as a group — the pain and the joy.

Thoughts of my teenage years were brought about by the relatively recent return to prominence of the tap penalty as an option. Back in the day every self-respecting school and club team had a reasonably extensive menu of tap penalty moves to bamboozle the opposition.

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It was a gambit that had petered out, except for Barbarians matches, but has now returned with a vengeance, especially from 5m out as defenders must keep their hands and feet behind the try line.

Benetton scored a beauty with a lovely late switch play, from an orthodox charge to cleverly disguised passing they picked out a late-charging winger initially hidden behind the pack, while Leinster’s two tries in their 20-19 URC victory against Munster at Thomond Park boasted the same origin. Munster too scored a try from a tap penalty.

Graham Rowntree’s side will perhaps be the more disappointed as Leinster’s brace of tries came in quick succession at a time when Leinster were down to 14 players. There was an element of subterfuge in Scott Penny’s try, and it was well worked in initially disguising his involvement but the one that Munster coughed up to Dan Sheehan will sit less easily in the review.

Any sort of decent tackle technique should have sent the Leinster hooker packing but he managed to power through Niall Scannell and Dave Kilcoyne with superior body height supplemented by winning the initial collision point.

Penny might have had a second try to his name had he elected to gather Ross Byrne’s cross-field kick on the fly rather than letting it bounce. It allowed the Munster defence to scramble across and shut down the opportunity.

The shift to tap penalties is likely to be welcomed by supporters, who will no doubt enjoy the variety of options that can be employed — the ripple of excitement in the stadium is palpable — and the ensuing increased number of tries.

There was no shortage of atmosphere from a packed Thomond Park at the weekend, and while Munster head coach Rowntree was frustrated and disappointed in the immediate aftermath of yet another loss to Leinster, many of the supporters are likely to be a little more forgiving as they watched their team push the visitors all the way to the final whistle on the scoreboard.

They’ll also appreciate the fact that Rowntree isn’t content with a gallant defeat, that he demands and expects more from his team, and with reasonable justification, rather than indulging in wide-eyed optimism with no basis for the same.

[ Defeat against Leinster hard to accept, says Rowntree ]

Narrow defeats always come with the words, “could’ve, should’ve, would’ve”, as irritating as a pebble in a shoe. The Munster supporters should realise that Rowntree is trying to solve a complex problem with several complications that he inherited from the previous regime.

Incremental improvements are visible, but they must be accompanied by a winning percentage in matches. The key is to reach that point before the road runs out. Losing is a bugbear shared by coaches, players, and fans for which there is no easy fix at this moment.

Time is a commodity that everyone is looking for more of, particularly supporters and coaches. The former is being asked to be patient while a rebuilding/regeneration process takes place while coaching staff are trying to change tack in style and substance against a backdrop of playing in two tournaments.

Patterns of play can be changed but for the time being it is the playing roster that poses the trickier problem. Is the quality in personnel there to be able to play the game that Rowntree and his coaches want? He has given a handful of players as much playing rope as he possibly can and now faces some tough decisions over the coming weeks.

The 9-10-12 combination has yet to click for Munster in any meaningful way. The decision to take off Joey Carbery after 64-minutes suggested that the scope to allow him to play his way back into his best form may be coming to an end.

Unfortunately, the first act of his understudy Jack Crowley was to miss a penalty touch finder just as Munster were clawing their way back into the hunt. His meteoric rise doesn’t preclude him from doing the basics well. If he wants the 10 jersey, then he must earn it on the strength of his performances.

That missed kick allowed Leinster to turn over the ball, the upshot of which should have been a try for replacement Luke McGrath after a brilliant take and offload from the outstanding Jamie Osborne. McGrath might have done better to keep the ball alive after his break which would have allowed the visitors to capitalise with a try. While Munster escaped, they never recovered.

I believe that Osbourne is now placing himself firmly in Ireland head coach Andy Farrell’s line of sight, such have been the quality of his performances. A positive outing this week at 13 alongside Charlie Ngatai will do plenty to reinforce his versatility. He looks like he can master most positions in that Kurtley Beale fashion, which could be a huge bonus to Ireland in the coming year.

Munster over the next 10 minutes spent time deep in their own half trying to build an attack that always looked just out of their reach. It is likely now that Rowntree and Mike Prendergast will need to become as creative with their selections as they are trying to be on the field.

Paddy Patterson has arguably been their most effective half back, Malakai Fekitoa doesn’t seem to fit the game plan so perhaps moving Antoine Frisch into the 12 channel and offering Calvin Nash the chance to return to his school days in the 13 jersey is the way forward.

Ravenhill is a tough place to go with that combination, but it could just be the catalyst that they need against a disjointed Ulster. Selection issues are not unique to Rowntree, but he can learn from the trials and tribulations of others.

Dan McFarland has the best set of young outside backs but has never been able to deliver a pack or an outhalf that best serves them. He seems caught between a blitz of “culture” and rotation with certain positions that are hard to decipher from the outside.

I have never been able to see a clear pecking order in positions. Sam Carter, for example, the 16-times capped Wallaby, may not be a Jason Jenkins-type player but he can run a pack and a lineout. He has never been a player that starts with the regularity as marquee signings should. When looking across the fixture list you can almost pick which matches a fit Jenkins will feature in for Leinster.

Billy Burns, playing injured of late, needs to bring greater authority and control at outhalf. He has facilitated the outside backs but little more. Ulster signed Jake Flannery from Munster over the summer but then proceeded to pick their second-choice scrumhalf in their most pivotal position for the Connacht game.

There is a monumental difference between knowing patterns and plays and understanding how to manage a game. Nathan Doak probably looked sharp in training against passive opposition, but I have to wonder about the logic of that selection. Usually these are crisis selections, not ones with a ready-made deputy available that has been playing the role his whole rugby life.

The pick of the matches from an Irish context will be in Ravenhill this weekend. Munster are likely to travel without a tired-looking Peter O’Mahony and Tadgh Beirne. This will be a perfect chance for others to shoulder the burden of inspiration that O’Mahony carries almost on his own at this stage.

With some different thinking across the starting 15, the Munster attack must just click. Ulster’s win over Connacht will do little to allay the recent performance slump, although they should be energised by a vocal home support that will demand a return to winning ways. There is a similar challenge for both coaches, whoever gets the selection right will tilt the odds in their favour.

Connacht will face a much-changed Leinster in Dublin and will provide an honest challenge, driven in part by a cohort of players who used to wear the blue and looking to prove a point. The home side will offer several players valuable minutes that have been in short supply of late, and that carrot alone should see them push past Connacht.