SUCCESS breeds success, or so they saying goes. However, more often than not, success breeds over confidence, arrogance and an ability to move away from what made you or your business successful in the first place.
After Munster’s heavy defeat to Saracens last weekend, there was the usual post mortem. Criticism of players and coaches directly after games is, in my opinion, an easy target. Kicking people while they are down is a simple game plan.
The performance was not of a Munter ‘vintage’, there is no question of that. The players and management will know that more than anyone. The result on the field merely highlighted the issues that face Munster rugby now.
The glaring reality is that, it might be some time before Munster can feed at the top table of European Rugby once more. Several factors contribute to this.
Money
MUNSTER’s modus operandi is to create players for the Irish national side. They are backed financially by the IRFU as the books of Munster rugby, like all the other three provinces, would not balance without it. Therefore the IRFU is the paymaster and Munster are just the tail on the dog. Both sides can be successful at the same time, see 2009 season when Leinster were champions of Europe and Ireland were Grand Slam Champions. The issue for Ireland now however is that there is more money in the UK and France than ever before. Even when Munster match wages for high profile players, which they have as recently as last month, they are not be chosen as a place to play as France is a better lifestyle choice for most.
Player Development
IF you can’t buy in players, you have to develop your own and here is where Munster are to be questioned. The short term loan signing of Pat Howard, coupled with a short term signing of Eusebio Guiñazú means that either the coaching staff has no faith in the Munster academy, or the Munster academy is not producing players of a high enough quality. This is a tough one to call. There are several products of the academy in the Munster side at present, so has the conveyor belt slowed down? It might have something to do with an inferior All Ireland league and an overly competitive and blinkered schools rugby system.
The IRFU has dropped the ball on the first issue here, blatantly depreciating the league as each season passes. The 2006 and 2008 sides were born and bred on the fields of the All Ireland league, when the term ‘academy’ was used just for awards in Hollywood.
The schools structure has proven too strong a clique for Munster hierarchy to break down. With the numbers dropping out of rugby after schools reaching an alarming rate, the numbers game, which Leinster win on population alone, is stiffling Munster before they can even start.
Common Sense
WITH Munster finally realising that two centres of training is neither cost effective nor a helping factor is terms of squad unity, it might just be time too to look at the fact Munster are the only side in Europe who play in two different stadiums. Every cent counts when it comes to year end and the cash is needed elsewhere.
Humility
A FINAL point is that both Munster fans, players, coaches and administrators now need to realise that something needs to be fixed and Munster are no longer the standard bearers. They thought nothing was broken in 2006 and ’,08 so they didn’t fix anything. It’s time to be humble now and get fixing.
