MUNSTER rugby as we know it, is at a cross roads. Rob Penney, in his first year as head coach, has a choice to make. Does he stick to his gameplan of wide rugby, or does he revert to the ‘classic’ Munster tactic of forward dominance? Munster travel to Edinburgh this Sunday 13, (kick off at 12.45pm) in the Heineken Cup, knowing that a bonus point win is a must.
A task which would be hard enough at any stage of a season, was only made more difficult by a shambolic performance last weekend versus Cardiff in Cork.
“We made 29 errors, unforced, on the back of creating a lot of stuff. You just can’t make that amount of errors and expect to have a positive outcome,” Penney commented after the game.
“This week will be one where we will do a bit of soul searching and try to rectify the issues we have,” he continued.
In terms of the gameplan, Penney has been 100 per cent behind his new policy of width and channel rugby.
To explain the system, it basically is a pattern where the team attack certain areas on the pitch when they have the ball.
Munster will attack one channel, then go wide to the touchline, before reverting back to the original channel once more.
This system, when worked right, can be virtually impossible to defend against. Just Youtube the Wellington Hurricanes from this season’s Super 15 championship to see it in full flight.
However, it can also be very predictable to defend against and analyse for opposition teams, should a facet of play not be 100 per cent.
The issues facing Penney are these.
Does he now change the system to suit the players he has, or does he change the players to suit the system he is so in favour of?
One of the major calls for Penney is the selection of an all round 10. O’Gara will kick the corners and vital penalties until the cows come home, but there is an argument to be made, that Ian Keatley, with his flatter passing and aggressive running, is better equipped to play this gameplan.
The same can be said for the forwards. The ‘Penney Plan’ requires more mobile and skillful forwards to stay on the wings in twos, allowing for quick ball retention and more width to the game.
It is no coincidence that players such as Sean Dougall, Donnacha Ryan and Tommy O’Donnell have thrived in the new plan.
The next problem for Penney is getting the players to buy into the game plan. This is where the cross roads come in.
Players, particularly in the professional era, will want to win at all costs regardless of the gameplan and/ or style of rugby.
Should Munster lose to Edinburgh, or even not play well, the players will buckle under the pressure of losing and look to revert to old school type.
Some might say that the performance against Cardiff was the worst Munster have played in some time. The body language of the players and coaches was not quite right.
It appears now in the Munster camp, that some players are totally at odds with the new system, while others think it is their chance to shine.
There might be a middle ground for both to get the best out of each other, but winning is the be all and end all. If the season ends once more without silverware or even a semi final spot in the RaboDirect, the pressure will be on the coach who is here for two seasons and not the players who were here before him and who might just be here afterwards too.
