MUNSTER ASSISTANT COACH Denis Leamy said they believe there are “big performances” to come from them in the weeks ahead after a tough start to the new season.
The southern province have lost three of their opening four games in the URC, including a defeat in last weekend’s trip to Connacht.
Head coach Graham Rowntree has bemoaned his side’s inaccuracy and indiscipline on several occasions and Munster now face a tough run of fixtures against the Bulls, Leinster, and Ulster.
This Saturday’s clash with the Bulls at Thomond Park is a must-win if Munster are to keep pace in the race for the URC play-offs, and Leamy said the atmosphere in the squad is good despite the lack of form.
“The games that are to come are obviously very, very difficult,” said Munster defence coach Leamy.
“The league is excellent quality now, there is no easy game. Obviously, the results haven’t been what we would like them to be. That’s a fact. The spirit around the group is really good, the energy is really good.
“We had a very good reset on Monday, lots of good chats, discussions, building plans, learnings, all those things that go on. It was a really good day. We were on the pitch for a shorter session yesterday, that went well really. We had an excellent session there roughly about half an hour ago. We had a really good tempo to the session, lots of good quality, and we’re really excited about playing what is an unbelievable side coming to Thomond Park in the Bulls.
“So there’s loads to be excited about. It hasn’t been what we wanted it to be to date, but we believe in it and we believe we’re getting better and better.”
Munster fans have struggled to find positives in their team’s performances against Cardiff, the Dragons, Zebre, and Connacht over the past month, but Leamy says there have been signs in training that things could click soon.
“We’re seeing stuff in training, we’re implementing new game plans. It’s obviously a very new coaching group, so when I say improvements in games, we’re probably not quite seeing that yet. That’s a fair point,” said Leamy.
“In training, we’re training at a very good tempo, I believe our players are fitter, they’re developing skills under pressure. We’re asking them to play a game that hasn’t been asked of them before. Everyone has their own philosophies on the game but we’re trying to develop those skillsets to allow us to execute on the pitch.
“We are seeing evidence of that in training. Yes, we haven’t quite clicked to date on the pitch but we believe that on the evidence we’ve seen through getting fitter, playing under pressure, developing different aspects of the game, there are big performances to come.”
Questions have been raised about the quality of Munster’s playing squad amidst their struggles but Leamy and his fellow coaches have insisted that the province’s players have the skills required to make the new style of play a success.
They’re happy to welcome nine players back from the Emerging Ireland tour this week, although they only return to training on Thursday, meaning they have a very limited window in which to reintegrate ahead of the Bulls games.
But Leamy said Munster are excited about the qualities in that group of players.
“The Emerging Ireland guys were excellent,” he said. “We had them for a number of weeks before they went to South Africa. Just looking at their displays individually, I thought to a man they all had big tours.
“That’s very exciting. There is a lot of experienced players in Munster, they’re still finding their feet and we’re coming together. There’s an awful lot of young talent. Roman Salanoa to name-check one, a guy we have huge hopes for.
“But to a man, the Emerging group coming back, there’s all quality there. We’re looking forward to getting those boys back in the building, looking forward to developing them. The experience they’ve gained down in South Africa will be something that’s interesting hearing about as well.”
