It has been an indifferent start for these two Irish sides in the Guinness Pro12 this season with both provinces tailoring two losses each from their opening four games.
You have a real feeling that the season has yet to kick off for both of the provinces and this fixture on Saturday represents the real start of the season for Matt O’Connor and Anthony Foley’s sides.
Munster have been thoroughly disappointing so far this year with their only wins coming against the lowly Italian sides who, let’s face it, will be more likely to be battling to avoid bottom spot rather than challenging for sixth place.
Two home defeats against Edinburgh and the Ospreys have left many Munster fans questioning the quality of this current team.
Leinster have been slightly better than their Irish counterparts with a good win over Scarlets and two tight losses to the in-form Glasgow Warriors and high-flying Connacht. They earned a bonus point victory over Cardiff last weekend but the real truth is in the word ‘earned’. It wasn’t until the late try from Luke McGrath that they were truly out of the woods and not in danger of losing the game.
Will Munster turn things around or continue further down the road to mediocrity?
There are no two ways about it, Munster have been poor this season. As many pundits and experts predicted, they have gone back to a more traditional game under the tutelage of Anthony Foley and the emphasis have been on forwards getting around the corner and making the hard yards.
This new game plan is far different from the previous Rob Penney model whereby forwards were encouraged to get involved in back play and take up wide positions. But there was always a doubt whether the forwards were skillful enough to implement Penney’s philosophy and it seems Foley has similar reservations.
Ian Keatley is being encouraged to play the old O’Gara role and find the corners with his kicks and take the ball to the line a lot less than he would have for the previous two seasons. This is a lot different to what the Munster players will have been accustomed to under the Penney era and it is only natural that Foley’s new style will require a bedding in period.
But what is not acceptable to many Munster fans is the ponderous approach play that the province has been indulging in so far this year. They have looked good at times this season until they enter the opponents 22, where they have simply lacked the cutting edge to score tries and slice the opposition open. The absence of Keith Earls hasn’t helped the situation.
It has been far too easy for opposition to shut down their attacks and Edinburgh looked quite comfortable in defence against them. If not for the ball carrying of CJ Stander, the defeat to the Scottish side could have been more than just the one point margin.
JJ Hanrahan could be a key player for Munster this season if he makes the number 12 shirt his own
They are a lot better team than they have been playing and are more than capable of producing big performances like the Munster’s of old. The return of Peter O’Mahony can’t come quick enough for the province and it is also disappointing not to see JJ Hanrahan line out at number 12. The Kerry man provides a distributing option at 12 and gives the backline an extra spark. We are big fans of a ball playing inside centre in JOE and we hope to see the creative dynamo at the earliest possible opportunity on Saturday.
Which Leinster side will we see on Saturday?
Leinster have been a bit up and down so far this season but have overall been more impressive than their southern rivals. Two away losses by one score margins is hardly disastrous when you consider that one of them opponents are last year’s beaten finalists.
Leinster, at times, have been their typical irresistible selves this season and the Scarlets couldn’t get near them at the RDS in their clash last month. In that game, the eastern province showed some inventive back play as well as a real hunger to put the opposition away.
Leinster have shown one of the bows in their quiver when Heaslip takes up first receiver. He can then either smash the ball up and try and make hard yards or he has the footballing skills to go out the back door and give Gopperth/Madigan some time on the ball. They then push the ball wide and try to get around the outside of the rushing defence. They used this tactic extremely effectively against the Scarlets and in fits and starts against Cardiff last weekend.
Heaslip does a lot of unseen work for Leinster
But they’re more than capable of mixing up their game plan and they have the necessary forwards to take on any pack in the Pro12 and come out on top. The arrival of Kane Douglas should also add some bulk and mobility to the second row as well when he is sprung from the bench in the second half.
Consistency is key for Leinster now because everyone in the Pro12 knows that when Leinster turn on the style, they are nigh on impossible to suppress. If they show up in the mood, Munster could be in for a real battering on Saturday.
Who will win on Saturday?
We can only see this game going one way. We are setting ourselves up for a fall here and we will surely be made eat our words but a Leinster victory is all we can see at this point. They have more confidence and are playing better than Munster at the moment.
Munster have a real task on their hands to raise themselves both mentally and physically for the game on Saturday and it may just be too much for them. Munster teams of old often produced a high quality performance following a loss and it’s possible that we may see something like that this weekend.
The Aviva Stadium should be packed to the rafters come half six on Saturday
The fact that they are getting away from the cold echoes of an empty Thomond Park may be a blessing in disguise for the province. Although it would surely be filled this Saturday, it is no longer the impenetrable fortress in once was and a game away in a packed Aviva stadium may take the pressure off some of the players. They will go in as underdogs without the expectation of the crowd on their backs and that could help them produce some quality, care-free rugby.
Interestingly, the Munster bench looks far stronger than the Leinster one which wasn’t something we were expecting. Munster can call on the experience of Peter O’Mahony, BJ Botha and Damien Varley when the game is in the melting pot, while the only experienced player on Leinster bench is Isaac Boss, while Kane Douglas is making his debut in the fixture.
But, Leinster should have too much in the tank even without the highly influential Cian Healy and Sean O’Brien. The Aviva is Leinster’s home as much as the RDS and they aren’t going to want to let Munster travel up and beat them on their home patch.
If the Leinster side that played Scarlets comes to the fore than this could turn ugly for Munster. Rarely do inter-pro derbies turn into big defeats and Munster will have to stand up and perform, or risk a heavy defeat.
