PAUL O’CONNELL IS just the latest in a long, long list of experienced Munster stalwarts to be forced into the stands for this week’s pivotal Heineken Cup double header.
So it would be easy to assume that the double European champions could be facing something of a leadership crisis.
Despite admitting a rapid turnover in personnel, second row Donncha Ryan would beg to differ.
Instead, Ryan says the biggest input that new coach Rob Penney has had; was to offer players more responsibility for their own areas.
“A new coach always coming in always brings a massive refocus and it energises everyone.” Ryan told Off The Ball last night, adding: “You feel like you’ve a clean slate which is great for everybody and the young guys feel they have a lot more empowerment and they get a lot more air-time in the team meetings, which is fantastic. It’s great to hear other guys’ perspective.”
Ryan continued: “Personally, I think we all lead together. It is a team game. You have ROG and Keats (Ian Keatley) taking care of the backs. Billy (Holland), myself and Paulie take care of the line-outs while the props look after the scrums.
“It’s basically shared amongst everybody. It’s great to have them in there and it’s great everyone is allowed to step up and show that all guys have leadership qualities in the team. It’s in everybody.”
Munster will need every shred of that unquantifiable asset when they host Mark McCall’s Saracens at Thomond Park on Saturday.
As if the Premiership side were not confident enough after taking nine points from their opening two pool games and sitting just a point behind Harlequins at the summit in England, they will receive a further boost from returning English backs; Alex Goode, Chris Ashton, Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt.
Even Thomond Park will no look so daunting after a convincing win over the All Blacks.
“When you’re playing well and winning it breeds confidence.” Ryan said of this weekend’s opponent. “They’re going to be on a high from last weekend. It looked like an amazing atmosphere in Twickenham, so I’m sure they were hopping off the field at the weekend and they guys already there will feed off that.”
Calibre
With Donncha O’Callaghan, O’Connell and Mick O’Driscoll taking a strangle hold on second row places in recent years, Ryan was forced to be patient for both club and country. Now, he is one of the players capable of feeling like their first team place is secure, not that he would let himself admit as much.
“I know from experience how hard it is to get into a starting jersey and it’s not something I’d like to give up easily.”
“You realise how disappointed you were not to be starting. Those experiences you use as a motivating factor, I’ve had a few of them in my time.
“I’d be very lucky to be involved at all, there’s such a high calibre of second rows around.”
