Munster Form Guide Round 3

OK, first things first, anyone who said the saw that result against the Scarlets coming is bullshitting. Most fans including myself looked at the team put out and thought that a losing bonus point would be a good result. And how those players made us eat humble pie.

Even looking at the updates on the form guide you can see where these guys are in the pecking order. It was a team pretty much filled with 2nd and 3rd choice players and to not only get such a result but a dominant performance will have been massive for the camp as a whole.

Tight Five

Loose head - Loughman continues to develop and while he may never be an elite heavy carrier I thought his work in the tight was superb. Josh Wycherley came on and was eager to make his mark which he certainly did in defense. He was an absolute beast in contact but he will hoping to shine with ball in hand in his next outing. For now Kilcoyne remains untouchable at the top, with Loughman very much filling the void left by James Cronin. Josh Wycherley is creating great competition for the position but hasn't done enough I feel just yet to oust Loughman for the bench spot. Boomer knows he needs a big performance when he gets his next chance to put himself back in contention.

Hooker - Diarmuid Barron took a step up on Sunday that elevates him right into contention for the bench spot in the big games. For me it was the first time that we have really seen him dominate a game at this level and show what he is capable of. His lineouts were good, the scrum was technically solid and he showed up extremely well in the loose (with four defenders beaten). KOB had his first outing of the season off the bench and I think holds the bench spot for the moment but is in no doubt about the challenge he faces to retain that spot while neither player has put enough pressure on Niall Scannell to take the number 2 jersey off him.

Tight Head - Stephen Archer at this stage of his career isn't going morph into a Lions quality tight head but what he does, he does well. He is solid in the scrum, good in the lineout and his maul work is excellent. Tight Head is another position with 3 players pushing each other hard for 2 spots. At the moment I think Knox is just ahead of Archer for the back up slot mainly on his potential and ability with ball in hand but there is very little between them.

Lock - Only one thing to say about the lock situation this week

The injury to RG Snyman is a brutal blow to the player himself first and foremost but to Munster it takes away a true world class player with the X factor that could be season defining come spring time when facing the top teams in the knock out stages of the URC or Champions Cup.

Fineen Wycherley continues to develop into a serious player. His ruck work and ability to absolutely melt players in contact has taken another step up this season and with every performance he continues to force himself into the equation in one of most competitive positions within the squad. Tom Ahern likewise just continues to grow into the superstar we all hope he can become. His size alone, gives him a reach advantage at lineout that is almost illegal. He has also started to impose himself physically into games and is learning to use his size properly.

I think Jason Jenkins would have been included in the pack as the heavy carrier for the Scarlets game had it not been for an injury late in the week. He has been unlucky with injury himself but Munster need him fit especially with Snyman likely to be out long term.

For the moment I have kept Wycherley as hybrid lock and someone likely to feature off the bench in the big games but Snymans injury could open the door for him or even Ahern should they continue to perform like this.

Back Row and Half Backs

Hybrid lock - I'm hopeful we will get to see Tadhg Beirne on Saturday against Connacht and I've spoken about Wycherley in the lock section. Jack O'Donoghue is another who could play at 6 but I'll cover him at No 8.

Openside - Chris Cloete continues to be king of the breakdown. The Scarlets game plan played right into his skillset and they had no real answer to stop him once he got over the ball. Cloete was also used quite effectively as a ball carrier even if he did get badly ripped on one occasion. Alex Kendellen got on for the last 10 minutes but was mainly in defensive mode for that time as the Scarlets ran the ball from everywhere to try make something happen. POM remains the first choice here for me, and Cloete will play URC games and maybe even bench in 6/2 split for Champions Cup where Munster feel the opposition are going to try exploit them in the wider channels. Kendellen keeps ahead of Daly, who by virtue of getting game time jumps John Hodnett who has huge potential but needs now to show he can perform at and up to this level post injury.

No 8. - Jack O'Sullivan is a such a smart player, running lovely attacking and support lines. He isn't a heavy carrier in the same mold as Coombes but he is so effective due to his IQ and footwork close to and in contact. His line for the first try is a perfect example of that. Jack O'Donoghue had another fantastic game, brilliant in the lineout, superb with his maul work and uses his power and speed to such good effect when carrying in the wide channels. Also under rated is his leadership ability as seen with how he handled the ref on numerous occasions on Sunday. JOD could easily start the Champions Cup games in the back row with POM but I do feel they are a little bit too similar and that JOD's role may well be off the bench.

Scrum Half - I thought this was Neil Cronins best game for Munster. He showed a lovely range of passing, an ability to control the tempo and his kicking was on point. His rugby IQ has never been in doubt and while I have been critical of his "wind up" prior to passing at times in the past, there was no sign of that on Sunday. His experience with the team and squad means for me has done enough to claim the third scrum half spot but Osbourne as done nothing wrong either and will be chomping at the bit to grab it off him at the next chance. Patterson got 15 minutes off the bench and that will help with his ongoing development.

Out Half - I don't think there is any doubt now that Ben Healy is the in form out half in red. Healy's ability with the boot is almost unquestionable but it was his ability to open the Scarlets defense with his passing that really caught the eye. On a number of occasions he spotted the space and was able to execute long accurate passes to release the Munster back line. While I don't think he has jumped Carbery in the pecking order just yet he's certainly giving Larkham and van Graan an option and the pressure continues to mount on Carbery to step up. Like Patterson, Jack Crowley got another 15 minutes of game time to add to his development.

Back five

Centres - Last week we had the Keith Earls experiment at 13 and this week it was Liam Coombes. My own opinion is that Earls to 13 was to see if it would for injury/replacement cover in a big game but that this week Coombes was looked at there as something more long term. Munster's depth chart at centre is pretty light and it seems Larkham and van Graan like their centres big and burly. Coombes fits that narrative alright but he also brings a lot of speed. I was searching for the right way to describe Coombes and I think the best way is "efficient". He was barely noticeable in defense because he didn't make mistakes and did what was asked of him. He made his tackles he kept his spacing and he when the opportunities to attack came he took them clinically. I haven't moved him over from wing to centre just yet but another outing or two in midfield and he will certainly be vying for the back up 13 jersey.

Dan Goggin fitted in so well at 12. Defensively he was excellent and along with Coombes they marshalled the midfield well and won the contact battles. While he certainly hasn't played badly Goggin is the player most under pressure in the centre pecking order. De Allende and Farrell remain first choice, Scannell is seen as back up 12 and now Coombes is looking for the back up 13. Goggin will need to continue to push on now to keep his name in the selection conversation.

Back Three - Shane Daly and Matt Gallagher were both solid if unspectacular against the Scarlets. Daly who will have eyes on gaining further Ireland caps next month didn't have the same opportunities or impact as Nash and Gallagher was solid at full back and threatened to occasionally break free with transition ball without really setting the game on fire. Nash on the other hand managed to put his unassuming seasonal debut in the URC behind him to make a massive impact on this game. This was more like the Nash from the Exeter pre season game. Constantly looking for the half chance, taking players on, using his footwork and pace to beat players. Steff Evans, who is no mug, will be having nightmares about Nash for a long while. Evans showed him the outside early on and Nash just flew past him. Nash also took his try well with a beautiful finish in the corner.

If Coombes does move infield then it might give Nash a few more opportunities to impress in a very competitive position. Gallagher will need to do a lot more to try and oust either Zebo or Haley for a first team spot.