FOLLOWING A CHRISTMAS period dogged by disruption and postponements, the very fact that today’s interprovincial derby meeting between Connacht and Munster [KO 5.15pm, Premier Sports, TG4] is going ahead at all feels like cause for celebration.
The added bonus of both provinces naming strong, exciting teams suggests we might at least get one Christmas cracker when the two sides meet at The Sportsground this evening, after seeing three interpros called off in the last week.
Let’s start with Connacht, who had been due to play Ulster in Belfast on St. Stephen’s Day, only for the game to be postponed due to positive Covid cases in the Ulster squad – with the northern province’s scheduled game against Leinster today also falling to Covid.
There is a settled look to the Connacht side named for today’s clash, with the headline news the return of electric winger Mack Hansen after a month-long injury absence. Equally pleasing for Connacht supporters is the presence of captain Jack Carty, who had been a doubt for the game.
The conversation around the gifted out-half in many ways mirrors much of the chat about Connacht year on year. Capable of brilliance any given matchday, consistency has often been a black mark against his name.
This season however, Carty looks more confident and assured in himself, backing up big performances and developing into a positive leader for the group.
His contributions have been one of the many pleasing aspects of Connacht’s continued signs of growth under head coach Andy Friend, with the province delivering some standout performances this season, particularly on home soil – they have only been beaten once at home in any competition since May – a 35-22 defeat to the Dragons in round three.
Their recent record in the interpros is also admirable. Last January they recorded a first away win against Leinster since 2002. They pushed Munster hard earlier this season and should arguably have won at Thomond Park, before a scintillating display saw them rip through Ulster at the Aviva Stadium in October.
However, the old issue of consistency still creeps up every now and then. Leinster eventually dismantled them with some ease at the RDS last month and the manner of the defeat to Dragons earlier this year was a real point of frustration for Friend.
While the overriding mood at Connacht seems to be one of positivity, a URC table heavily distorted by a series of postponements does not make for kind reading. With four defeats to their name already, Connacht sit in eighth place, trailing Munster by three points despite playing two more games.
Munster’s own fixture calendar was ripped apart across the latter half of 2021, and they will hope the new year brings with it some return to normality in terms of getting back to a regular run of games.
Today’s encounter will be their first URC outing in 10 weeks, with the province cramming a season’s worth of headlines into that time.
A chaotic trip to South Africa and the resulting covid issues saw the squad gutted by positive cases. A makeshift Munster team were brilliant at Wasps before a more familiar looking side laboured past Castres in Limerick, ahead of another enforced break as last weekend’s game against Leinster was postponed.
At the end of the season, head coach Johann van Graan and attack coach Stephen Larkham will both move on as Munster prepare to head into another rebuilding project. Joey Carbery is back on the sidelines following his latest injury blow.
With so much disruption, it’s perhaps difficult to know what to expect from Van Graan’s side today.
They do however boast a strong record against Connacht. Munster have won on their last three trips to the Sportsground and last year’s Rainbow Cup defeat at Thomond Park represented their first loss in nine against the westerners.
Their first teamsheet of 2022 packs plenty of experience, but also contains an intriguing injection of young talent too, the most notable being a first start for Alex Kendellen.
The highly-rated flanker excelled for the Ireland U20s last year and has been tipped for big things, having made his Champions Cup debut off the bench against Castres two weeks ago, and forms an explosive, youthful backrow alongside captain Jack O’Donoghue (27) and Gavin Coombes (24).
There will also be plenty of eyes on Ben Healy as the out-half looks to step up in the absence of Carbery over the coming weeks.
Connacht will look to play their usual fast, expansive brand of rugby, although the recent trip to Leicester Tigers showcased a willingness to adapt that gameplan when necessary, Friend’s side happy to kick for territory in a bid to ease the pressure in their own half of the field.
Munster will look to gain an upper hand via their physicality, an area in which Connacht struggled against both Leinster and the Tigers recently, despite having plenty of heavy hitters in their own ranks.
On paper, this looks set to be another competitive encounter, and given how tight some of their recent meetings have been, it could boil down to who has managed the disruption of the last few weeks better.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; John Porch, Sammy Arnold, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen; Jack Carty (captain), Kieran Marmion; Matthew Burke, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham; Ultan Dillane, Oisín Dowling; Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Tietie Tuimauga, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Eoghan Masterson, Abraham Papali’i, Matthew Devine, Conor Fitzgerald, Tom Farrell.
MUNSTER: Mike Haley; Andrew Conway, Chris Farrell, Damian de Allende, Shane Daly; Ben Healy, Craig Casey; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley; Jack O’Donoghue (captain), Alex Kendellen, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Jeremy Loughman, Keynan Knox, Thomas Ahern, Jack Daly, Neil Cronin, Jack Crowley, Rory Scannell.
Referee: Chris Busby (IRFU)
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Gavan Casey and Murray Kinsella take a break from eating and drinking to chat about some interesting contract news in Irish rugby.
