Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.
Having been reduced to watching darts and cricket (cricket!) over the past couple of weeks, Emmet Moloney is looking forward to the return of the Heineken Cup this weekend...
You never really miss something until it’s gone. With little or no sport over the past few weeks, we’ve been reduced to watching darts and cricket. The only live sport I’ve seen over the last while was a game of combs in Navin’s Pub!
Thank God, this weekend we have Munster and Leinster’s continuing Heineken Cup adventures to keep us amused. The pitch in Italy will be playable and the RDS should be, too. Munster’s trip to Italy will probably be the trickier of the two games. Brive, Leinster’s French opponents, will roll over at the RDS and, with a bonus-point win, the defending champions could even make the play-offs without having to win their last match. That would be some turnaround after their shock opening-round defeat.
Speaking of shocks, Munster’s bonus point win over Perpignan was one of the biggest in recent years. We thought the whole rugby world had copped on to Munster and their ability to surprise. Their air of invincibility at home was also under threat. Then they go pull a “Munster” on us. Few could have seen that performance coming.
But is the corner turned? This Saturday will tell us more. Treviso are no longer the pushovers that Italian teams tended to be. Northampton only won by three points over there while Perpignan were actually beaten. Munster don’t need the four tries, just the four points for a win.
With Munster being about the biggest name in European rugby, the Italians will be putting a lot of eggs in this basket. This is a big day for them, regardless of where they lie in the group. A chance to make headlines by knocking off the 2006 and 2008 champions, this could be low-scoring and dogged. But Munster have made a virtue of winning tough and ugly now and again. They’d take that this weekend.
However, there are some clouds on Munster’s horizon. The injury to Denis Leamy is a huge blow to them and Ireland. On top form, he is a perfect number six for both teams. He compliments David Wallace to a tee and makes Jamie Heaslip a better player as well. His big hits mean turnovers and his display on both days against Perpignan suggested he had a big few months ahead of him. Why is it that some players are injury prone when others aren’t?
The form of Doug Howlett is another cause for concern. His defence has been very suspect these past few months. One thing that is a guarantee with All-Blacks, former or current, is their strength in the tackle. But Howlett looks a little shaky recently. It’s a regular occurrence in the world of rugby, where players seem to get old overnight.
With its physical nature, rugby is not a game that allows players to ease towards retirement. Let’s hope Howlett’s form is a blip – he is crucial to Munster’s plans. It goes without saying that John Hayes is too. But how long more will we have to wait for Tony Buckley to be mentioned in that category, If ever? Down the road, Munster’s scrum is going to come under serious pressure and to win the Heineken Cup they need Hayes, Flannery and Horan rolling back the years. How many times can they keep doing that?
So, it is not all rosy in the Munster garden. But, then again, it never is. Adversity suits them and they will make the quarter-finals with a home draw too.
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