Stellar U20 crop signals the resurgence of the Munster pathway
After years of Leinster dominance in terms of representation, the Ireland U20 side took on a much redder hue than normal over the last seven weeks.
If the Munster pathway had been a little quiet of late, there was no better way to announce its resurgence than by contributing the core of the side that went on to secure a Grand Slam in the U20 Six Nations.
Of Munster’s 10-man contingent in the squad, four were ever-present in the Irish XV, with loosehead Josh Wycherley, number eight John Hodnett, wing Jonathan Wren and full-back Jake Flannery all proving crucial to Ireland’s success. Scrum-half Craig Casey could well have matched that, too, if it were not for injury ruling him out of the games with Scotland and Wales, whilst centre Sean French and fly-half Ben Healy were also frequently involved.
Hooker Billy Scannell and tighthead Luke Masters both cracked the 23 on one occasion each, with lock Paddy Kelly rounding out the 10-man group.
It’s not a weak year for the other provinces, either, with Leinster offering up four very notable promising talents in Harry Byrne, David Hawkshaw, Scott Penny and Tom Clarkson, Connacht hooker Dylan Tierney-Martin impressing throughout and Ulster back rower Azur Allison yet to get his shot, with injury ruling him out of the Six Nations.
It’s undeniable that Munster have leant heavily on imported players under Rassie Erasmus and now Johann van Graan, but that has been as much to do with the pathway in the province not producing at a rate to keep Munster at the top of the Guinness PRO14, as it has been blocking the pathway for emerging players. It’s been a vicious circle of having to balance recruitment in order to stay competitive with the best sides in Europe, but then having limited opportunities for a number of the homegrown players to stake their claims.
Dan Goggin and Darren Sweetnam, both rising to prominence over the last few years, but it certainly hasn’t matched up favourably with Leinster’s prolific production line of late, albeit boasting a player pool at the school level that struggles to match up with the one enjoyed by the Dublin-based side.
This class, however, has taken promising strides over the last seven weeks and done as much as they can to show that van Graan can put the chequebook down and trust in some of his emerging players being capable of stepping up and challenging for spots in the senior squad.
Hodnett lacks a little of the bulk that CJ Stander offers, but otherwise there are a number of similarities between the two back rowers. They both stand at just over six foot, which is short for the position, they win as ball-carriers in heavy traffic through their footwork and leg drives and they clearly both relish the physical element of the game.
He’s a player that could be called a ‘tweener’ at the senior level, without the height traditionally required to excel in the loose forwards outside of openside, but in Stander he has the perfect role model to learn from and develop alongside if he wants to be a consistent performer at the highest level.
In scrum-half Casey, there is another excellent opportunity to learn from an established player, with Conor Murray having set the standards at the position in the northern hemisphere over the last few years. Casey is sharp around the fringes and can pass accurately off both hands, and Murray’s tutelage should help him hone his box-kicking, as well as the depth and range of his passing, particularly in scenarios on or close to the try line.
Casey is a smaller nine and that could be a concern moving forward, but his speed and reading of the game certainly set him apart and give him plenty of reason to be confident about his prospects. If you need an example of a similar type of scrum-half succeeding in recent years, look no further than Harry Randall at Bristol Bears, who even received a namecheck from England head coach Eddie Jones recently.
Wycherley follows in the footsteps of his older brother Fineen, who has been making the breakthrough this season as a second row or blindside option for van Graan, and his younger brother lacks none of the physicality required to succeed in the tight five. The loosehead was one of Ireland’s go-to carriers during the Six Nations and whilst patience will be a virtue for the forward given the demands of his position at the senior level, he has all the hallmarks of being a strong provincial prop moving forward.
A fly-half at club level, Flannery took to the 15 position with aplomb for Ireland and it might be there that he has the greatest potential for Munster. Fly-halves playing full-back at U20 level is rife among New Zealand, England and South Africa, and Ireland certainly enjoyed similar benefits with Flannery. He controlled field position with a strong kicking game, but also sparked plenty of productive counter-attacks and was a constant threat to unleash support runners after his own breaks.
His future could still be at 10, but Munster already have Bill Johnston at the position, as well as Healy, who stepped in admirably for Byrne during the Six Nations. Johnston showed a lot of promise at U20 level, but there would have been concern at the two shoulder injuries he sustained in fairly innocuous tackles on age-grade carriers. If he has put his injury troubles behind him, his reading of the game and intuitive attacking play should have him in the box seat for opportunities at fly-half, with Flannery capable of developing into a very adept full-back, thus maximising the talent at the province’s disposal.
That is the key for Munster, maximising what they have at their disposal. They will never boast the same riches as Leinster do, purely down to the population and school system in and around Dublin. It’s a case of taking what you have and improving it. Use those chips on the shoulders of your emerging players to drive them in their formative years and attempt at least to seek parity, pound-for-pound, with local rivals Leinster.
French, Wren, Masters and Scannell, the younger brother of Rory and Niall, should all get further chances to add to their stock this summer in Argentina at the World Rugby U20 Championship, where Ireland go head-to-head with England, Australia and Italy in pool play. As for Kelly, the second row has another year of eligibility in 2020, so any opportunities that do come his way this year will be seen as a bonus.
If Munster can transition five or six of these players into being significant senior contributors in the next couple of seasons and begin to tap into their extensive potential, they will have gone a long way towards showing that, once again, it’s not just the pathway in Dublin that needs to be watched closely in Ireland.
Watch: Joe Schmidt expects Ireland to be back on top form at the Rugby World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
Great insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
1 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
36 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
5 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
5 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
5 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
36 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
36 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
36 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
36 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
36 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
5 Go to comments