Munster-Leinster derby fell victim to Ireland's player welfare plan

The Masterplan

The splendid isolation of Munster versus Leinster in Thomond Park no longer exists. Not after the substitutions of Johnny Sexton (60 minutes with Leinster trailing 16-10) and Joey Carbery (71 minutes, 19-10). Neither being tactical nor down to injury.

Rather than Irish rugby’s great rivalry, we witnessed the highest grade training session imaginable.

The fixture is trivialised for the greater good but the removal of Sexton was a pre-planned decision - from how high up we can only assume - that directly led to Munster victory.

Witness a competition trying to sell itself as serious when the best player in the world is pulled from its flag ship regular season game with 20 minutes to go and his side trailing by six points. Fear not.

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Munster responded by yanking Carbery. Sure, Ciarán Frawley will learn from tossing the contest ending intercept pass to Keith Earls. Sure, Tyler Bleyendaal is risen from the dead. Yes, Toulouse and Gloucester are lurking with England invading the Aviva stadium on February 2nd.

It’s a World Cup year, they’ll tell you, but what of the league’s reputation?

(We assume life goes on post Japan 2019)

Penny for the thoughts of Guinness and eir?

Sexton - the world player of the year, the captain of these champions - leaving the field, when the moment demands he soldiers on, cements the Pro14 on its lowly perch: an enticing warm-up for Europe and little more besides.

This can no longer be branded Irish rugby's El Clasico, or whatever lofty moniker is attached to ultra serious sport.

The obvious defence: see Eddie Jones’s badly fractured English squad.

The Masterplan is all about Ireland.

“We got to think big,” said IRFU chief David Nucifora recently.

“Anything is possible if everyone is aligned and working together. One of the real strengths of the Irish systems is it is joined up.”

Referee’s nightmare

“So,” began Frank Murphy’s torrid night on the whistle, “what we have is 10 and six on the ground.”

“Tackle by red,” says touch judge Johnny Erskine. “Blue 10 reacts. Throws a punch. Check the point of connection.”

No official escapes this game unscathed. It was mentioned enough by Leinster supporters that the 37-year-old Cork referee was a Munster player (Alain Rolland being the immediate response) but really the former scrumhalf’s career peaked at Connacht after two years with Leicester. And anyway, the ref nowadays is only as good as his or her touch judges and Television Match Official. That is rugby’s ultimate difficulty - officials are changed week to week, and they are in competition with each other, so consistent team work can never cement.

Murphy did his best to keep yellow and red cards out of sight. He really did. For example: only warning Johnny Sexton for slapping Fineen Wycherley across the face with Fineen Wycherley’s scrum cap and seeking to categorise James Lowe taking out Andrew Conway in mid air as a “definite yellow” before the replay left no choice but to brandish red.

By then all hell had broken loose. Murphy’s clear and common sense communication with Sexton broke down after Cian Healy walked on 16 minutes.

Here’s an idea: turn the officials into gangs of four. Only a genuine team (of officials) can be expected to keep a lid on the madness.

Feasting off the crumbs from Leinster’s table

Much is being made of Leinster reared and developed players forming the backbone of Ulster, Munster and Connacht squads. 14 of them saw action over the weekend’s interpros. Four in the Munster team - Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, Tadhg Beirne and Jeremy Loughman - three for Connacht - Cian Kelleher, Tom Farrell and Gavin Thornbury - with Ulster needing seven; John Cooney, Eric O’Sullivan, Marty Moore, Nick Timoney, Jordi Murphy, Dave Shanahan and Greg Jones.

“If they’re the best players available then absolutely,” Nucifora explained.

“That’s what it is about; it’s about having the best players playing the game. You take your hat off to the young players that moved. If you’re going to be a high performing athlete you have to be ambitious. You have to take chances, put yourself out on a limb, and that’s what they are doing because they want to be the best they can be - they’re choosing to chase their dreams by doing that.”

Nucifora added: “The development pathway and development systems are nationally run, provincially delivered. All the people who work in academies and talent identification systems are IRFU employees dressed in provincial colours to deliver a nationally co-ordinated programme.”

This is professionalism, and it’s working.

“It is clear foul play. You made no effort to wrap. What I do understand is [Chris Cloete’s] head popped out and it’s an awkward collision so it is going to be a yellow card. When you come back on I need you to behave.”

Referee Frank Murphy sin bins Tadhg Furlong.

14 - number of Leinster-developed players who featured for the other three provinces over the weekend.