Variety the spice of life for Munster at inside centre

Another dreary November afternoon.   What’s so surprising about that I hear you say? Hasn’t it been like this for the whole summer!   The first of the November Series of internationals between the Northern and Southern hemisphere teams are to take place today so to get me in the mood I sift through my collection of dvd’s for any classic rugby memorabilia.  I stumble across the official commemorative dvd of Munster’s maiden Heineken Cup win in 2006.

Oh, the memories! The tears well up once more watching Peter Stringer boot the ball in to the stand and then the shrill blast of referee Dave Pearson’s final whistle.  The Holy Grail had finally been reached.  Captain fantastic Anthony Foley lifts the cup and the streets of Limerick are in rapture.  Many aspects of that game stand out.  The kicking duel between O’Gara and Yachvilli.  The raw physicality of the Munster back row of Leamy, Walllace and Foley.  Stringer’s sniping around the fringes and what was the match winning try.  But what stood out most for me was the impact of one South African wearing the Munster No. 12 jersey, Trevor Halstead.  At a time in the first half when Munster were banging on the Biarritz door but had passed up the opportunity on a couple of occasions, it was Halstead who landed the first physcological blow when taking a pass from O’Gara and barging his way over the line dragging two Biarritz defenders with him.  Just the shot of confidence that Munster needed at that juncture.

My mind then switched to the current Munster set up and the talk among supporters during the summer that Munster had now landed an inside centre in the same mould as Halstead with the return of James Downey to the province.  After a short spell with Calvisano in Italy, Downey was snapped up by Northampton Saints and had been barging over, and through, defenders in the Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup for the past couple of seasons.  Munster had seen this first hand themselves with their almost annual jousts with Norhampton in the Heineken Cup in particular.  All credit to Leifimi Mafi who was an excellent servant to Munster Rugby, but could Downey now be the battering ram down the number 12 channel that would drive Munster to European glory once more.  This would be the decision that new coach Rob Penney would have to make, Downey having been signed in Tony McGahan’s tenure in charge.

The requirements of a modern day inside centre are many and varied.  They are seen as the protector of the fly half or first receiver at the scrum or breakdown.  Like the fly half they generally possess a good kicking game and are good at reading the play and directing the attack.  They need to run good lines, have good passing skills and should be able to offload in the tackle, all as a means of trying to provide space for the men outside them.  They need to be solid tacklers and good at organising the defensive lines.   They also provide support at the breakdowns and can run as decoys to confuse opposing defences.  Not a lot to do there then!

I therefore took a look at the statistics of Munster’s RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup campaigns to date.  Seven games played in the Pro 12 and the opening two rounds of the Heineken Cup.  Four players have been used in the inside centre position to date.  Keith Earls versatility would also allow him to play there if required and even though Danny Barnes has seen no action there this term so far, he did have a very impressive breakthrough season there culminating in a Magners League winning performance against Leinster in the 2010/11 Grand Final.  The stats reveal the following:

1.       James Downey   

-          Played the full 80 minutes at inside centre in the first four Pro 12 games against Edinburgh, Treviso, Ulster and the Dragons

-          In the next two Pro 12 games against the Ospreys and Leinster, he replaced Simo Zebo on the wing with Casey Lualala and Keith Earls forming the centre partnership

-          Played the entire 80 minutes at inside centre against Racing Metro in the opening Heineken Cup game and again started at inside centre in the next Heineken Cup game against Edinburgh and was replaced late on by J.J. Hanrahan

-          Was not selected against either Zebre or Cardiff Blues in the Pro 12

2.       Keith Earls 

-          Was not selected in the first two Pro 12 games against Edinburgh and Treviso due to the Irish management player welfare scheme

-          In the next Pro 12 game against Ulster, he replaced Luke O’Dea early on on the wing and scored Munster’s only try in that game

-          Started at outside centre against the Dragons with Downey at inside centre.  Received Man of the Match award and was at the core of everything creative in the midfield

-          Started at outside centre against the Ospreys with Lualala at inside centre. 

-          Started at outside centre against Leinster with Lualala once again at inside centre. 

-          Was not selected against either Racing Metro or Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup or against either Zebre or Cardiff Blues in the Pro 12 

3.       Casey Lualala 

-          Played at outside centre in the first three Pro 12 games against Edinburgh, Treviso and Ulster before being replaced towards the end in each game

-          Played the full 80 minutes in the next two Pro 12 games against the Ospreys and Leinster at inside centre with Keith Earls at outside centre

-          Played the full 80 minutes at outside centre against Racing Metro and Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup with Downey at inside centre

-          Played the full 80 minutes at outside centre against Zebre in the Pro 12 with J.J. Hanrahan at inside centre

-          Played the full 80 minutes at outside centre against Cardiff in the Pro 12 with Ian Keatley at inside centre 

4.       Ian Keatley 

-          Played at outhalf in the first three Pro 12 games against Edinburgh, Treviso and Ulster

-          Came on as a substitute at outhalf for O’Gara in the next two Pro 12 games against the Ospreys and Leinster  

-          Played the full 80 minutes at full back against Racing Metro and Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup

-          Played the full 80 minutes at outhalf against Zebre in the Pro 12

-          Played the full 80 minutes at inside centre against Cardiff in the Pro 12 with Lualala at outside centre

5.       J.J. Hanrahan 

-          Replaced O’Gara  at outhalf late on in the Pro 12 game against the Dragons

-          Replaced Downey at inside centre late on against Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup

-          Played the full 80 minutes at inside centre against Zebre in the Pro 12 scoring two tries and winning Man of the Match award 

6.       Danny Barnes

-          Replaced Zebo on wing late on in the Pro 12 game against the Dragons

-          Replaced Downey at inside centre late on against Racing Metro in the Heineken Cup

 Each of the above players obviously have their own merits in the position.  Downey’s bulk ensures that he fulfils the solid tackler criteria as well as having good passing skills and an ability to offload in the tackle.  Keith Earls could be what is called a “Universal Back” in that he can play anywhere across the back five positions.  A substitute in the 2008 Heineken Cup winning side, he has a side step as good as any in the game but his versatility, which has always been a major plus for the overall cause of the team, may be to the detriment of he nailing down any one specific position in the backline which may be more advantageous for him in the long run.  Casey Lualala has been an ever present so far this season and with his All Black skill set and the fact that he has previously worked with coach Rob Penney in New Zealand, he has certainly hit the ground running.  Ian Keatley’s experience in the outhalf position ensures that he fulfils the good kicking game criteria as well as having the instinct to read the play and direct the attack.  He also possesses good passing skills and an ability to offload in the tackle.  J.J Hanrahan has received a development contract for the 2012/13 season and after run outs against the Dragons in the Pro 12 and Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup he burst on to the scene with his two try salvo against Zebre.  His first try owed much to his pace while his second showed a poacher’s instinct as he latched on to a dink through by Keatley.  Danny Barnes as a result seems to have slipped down the pecking order with only two substitute appearances this season compared to a very productive 2011/12 season where he made twenty appearances in both competitions scoring a healthy 5 tries.

It seems to date that coach Penney has a preference for the combination of Lualala at inside centre and Earls on his outside or Downey at inside centre and Lualala on his outside.  As the old saying goes “the cloth will be cut accordingly” depending on the opposition.  Such a wealth of options and competition for places can only be healthy for any team but it is hoped that the “best fit combination” can be rubberstamped in training and in the next two Pro 12 games against the Scarlets and Glasgow before the crunch doubleheader against Saracens in the Heineken Cup come the second week in December.  And lets hope that Downey and his teammates above can be inspired by the memories of Halstead and Co. and drive Munster to the pinnacle of european rubgy once more.