18 MONTHS HAVE passed since then-Leinster academy manager Noel McNamara came to Paddy Patterson and said Munster were looking for short-term cover at scrum-half.
Conor Murray and Craig Casey were heading into Ireland camp, while Neil Cronin was injured. Cover was light, Munster needed someone in urgently.
It had been a frustrating couple of years in Leinster for Patterson, so any sniff of an opportunity to play was of interest. He had won three caps back in the 2018/19 season but hadn’t had a look in since then.
“I probably did better in my first year in the academy than I did in the next two years, really,” said Patterson this week.
“I played three times but probably never really kicked on. There was strong competition with the three lads ahead of me, but I was just delighted to get an opportunity here and I’m hoping to thrive on it.”
What was initially supposed to be a two-week stay in Munster for Patterson turned into a four-month loan spell before he permanently signed for their academy in the summer of 2021.
Patterson settled in quickly. It helped that he had played Ireland U20s with the likes of Jack O’Sullivan, Diarmuid Barron, and Ben Healy – who he moved in with in Limerick.
“He’s an interesting character,” said Patterson with a smile, adding that Healy loves to talk about spiral kicks.
After two caps during his loan spell, Patterson made a further five Munster appearances last season and earned a senior contract coming into this 2022/23 campaign. Having impressed in their pre-season friendlies, the Blackrock College product started last weekend’s URC opener against Cardiff.
“Short-term, I’m just looking to play as much as possible,” said Patterson. “Obviously there’s going to be more opportunities when Craig and Mur are in Ireland camp but if I get an opportunity when they’re here as well, I’ll jump at it.”
The former UCD scrum-half has been enjoying working with new attack coach Mike Prendergast, who has been pushing his scrum-halves to move the ball away from the breakdowns as quickly as possible every time.
Patterson has always loved the running part of scrum-half play, so the new approach should suit him.
“He loves walking around with his laptop, it’s glued to him, like! He’s obsessed with rugby, that’s what I can take from him,” said Patterson of Prendergast.
“He’s just always going around, giving us different scenarios and giving us tips throughout the day. He never turns it off.”
The game in Cardiff saw Munster implement a very fresh-looking kicking game. Much of their kicking went long downfield and stayed on the pitch rather than finding touch. There were still some high contestables – and successful ones at that – but fewer of them.
It has been an adjustment for Patterson and the other halfbacks, but he’s happy with the shift.
“Last year, we would have primarily been contestable, so last year I would’ve worked on contestables the whole time. But this season, as I’m sure you saw on Saturday, we are more ‘long and on’ is what we say, trying to kick it deep and then get a big chase line.
“So just a change in style and kicking. To be honest I find the ‘long and on’ probably a bit easier. It’s less technical and I enjoy that a bit more, I’d say.”
Patterson will have to battle with Murray, Casey, and Cronin throughout the season, but things have started relatively brightly for him.
“Whenever I get a chance, I need to put my mark on the game and try be competitive in that sense and put some pressure on them as best I can.”
