A NEW SEASON, a fresh start, but some things already feel very familiar as Munster head to Rodney Parade to face the Dragons this afternoon [KO 3pm, RTÉ].
The Dragons are already under fire. They were hammered by Edinburgh last weekend when they gave a pitiful performance. Rumours abound that director of rugby Dean Ryan might be out the gate soon. He was not a happy man after that 44-6 humbling in Scotland.
“We’ve got supposed talent in this squad, but I don’t see it at the moment,” said Ryan after watching his side concede seven tries.
“I don’t see the work rate that was needed or the desire to be in the right position. We need to hold some hard conversations about how that can happen in the first game of the season.”
There are new faces like ex-Munster out-half JJ Hanrahan but even the most optimistic of Dragons fans must be worried about another season of struggle. So the expectation is that Munster can give the Graham Rowntree era a kick-start with a win on the road.
They failed to do that last weekend in what was a sloppy showing in Cardiff, with the little kernels of promise dulled by handling errors, breakdown turnovers, sluggish set-piece attack, and several defensive mishaps.
It’s still very, very early days in this new chapter, but Munster fans would certainly appreciate seeing a slicker, more cohesive performance in this second outing, particularly with fine weather forecast in Newport.
Rowntree has been able to bring Ireland internationals Peter O’Mahony, Craig Casey and Keith Earls into his starting XV for their first appearances since touring New Zealand over the summer, while Stephen Archer, Mike Haley, and Simon Zebo have all been passed fit to start too.
There has been some upheaval to the squad with 10 Munster men departing for South Africa today for the Emerging Ireland tour, while there is also the matter of Chris Farrell being stood down due to ongoing legal proceedings in France.
It remains to be seen how that all unfolds but Farrell is now unavailable for an undefined period of time. With new signing Antoine Frisch heading off with Emerging Ireland and Rory Scannell recovering from a nasty wound on his face, midfield depth is suddenly tested.
Malakai Fekitoa moves to the more familiar number 13 shirt as Dan Goggin comes in at 12. Munster know that Earls and replacement back Liam Coombes can also cover the outside centre slot, but they will be looking forward to Frisch – who is predominantly a 12 – getting back from tour.
With two more Ireland internationals on the bench in Tadhg Beirne and Joey Carbery, Munster should have more than enough quality to overcome the Dragons. Look out for 19-year-old academy lock Edwin Edogbo among the replacements too. The Cobh Pirates product is set for his debut and has plenty of potential.
Whatever about the changes in personnel, Munster will be determined to show big improvements in Wales today. Their breakdown should be more ferocious and accurate, they will surely drop the ball far less often, and the tackles should be more convincing.
If that happens, we will get a clearer picture of what new attack coach Mike Prendergast wants from his players. There were glimpses last weekend of counter-attacking ambition, more interplay between forwards and backs, and a new kicking plan which featured more long kicks infield rather than high, hanging contestables.
Patience is important but Munster’s coaching staff are well aware that there is much less margin for error in the URC these days with the pace-setting South Africans on board and fewer regular season games than before.
Losing to the Dragons is simply unimaginable for Munster today and the experience they have brought into the matchday 23 should help them to notch the first win of the Rowntree era.
Dragons:
- 15. Angus O’Brien
- 14. Rio Dyer
- 13. Sio Tomkinson
- 12. Jack Dixon
- 11. Ashton Hewitt
- 10. JJ Hanrahan,
- 9. Rhodri Williams
- 1. Aki Seiuli
- 2. Bradley Roberts
- 3. Lloyd Fairbrother
- 4. George Nott
- 5. Will Rowlands (captain)
- 6. Sean Lonsdale
- 7. Taine Basham
- 8. Ross Moriarty
Replacements:
- 16. Elliot Dee
- 17. Rob Evans
- 18. Chris Coleman
- 19. Ben Carter
- 20. Aaron Wainwright
- 21. Lewis Jones
- 22. Max Clark
- 23. Jordan Williams
Munster:
- 15. Mike Haley
- 14. Keith Earls
- 13. Malakai Fekitoa
- 12. Dan Goggin
- 11. Simon Zebo
- 10. Ben Healy
- 9. Craig Casey
- 1. Dave Kilcoyne
- 2. Niall Scannell
- 3. Stephen Archer
- 4. Jean Kleyn
- 5. Fineen Wycherley
- 6. Jack O’Donoghue
- 7. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
- 8. Jack O’Sullivan
Replacements:
- 16. Scott Buckley
- 17. Liam O’Connor
- 18. Keynan Knox
- 19. Edwin Edogbo
- 20. Tadhg Beirne
- 21. Paddy Patterson
- 22. Joey Carbery
- 23. Liam Coombes
Referee: Sam Grove-White [SRU].
