Former Ireland flanker Alan Quinlan joined OTB AM on Monday and discussed the different affects pressure has on JJ Hanrahan and Ian Madigan.

Both Ian Madigan and JJ Hanrahan had come under pressure and criticism over the last few weeks regarding their performances for their respective teams.

Although they did not receive equal amounts of game time over the past weekend, Quinlan noticed Madigan rise to the criticism and pressure better than Hanrahan.

“Unfortunately, talking about JJ [Hanrahan], it looks bad for him,” Quinlan said.

“That’s what we’re talking about [with] JJ Hanrahan, that pressure seems to get to him whereas someone like Madigan revels in that pressure.

“The performance wasn’t good, the missed kicks, the control of the kicking game, [and] the direction, it comes from your 10 and it’s been a problem for Munster.”

Hanrahan made one of his three penalty kick attempts against Leinster and contributed just seven of Munster’s 28 kicks from hand.

Hanrahan has been good in the past for Munster, but Quinlan doubts his big match temperament.

“JJ has kicked really well this year, and he’s probably looked more composed in some performances this year, and been pretty consistent, but it’s the big games,” he said.

“It is the round sixes away to Racing [92], it’s semi-finals and finals over the years, they’re the games that you need big temperaments, composure, a real steel about you.

“Unfortunately for JJ it wasn’t his night the other night and it’s an issue for him, and it’s an issue for Munster.”

Quinlan thinks that Munster are suffering without the services of Joey Carbery, who remains out of action for an indefinite period of time.

JJ Hanrahan of Munster kicks a penalty which is subsequently missed during the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final match between Leinster and Munster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

“Someone said to me last week that Joey Carbery’s injury is bigger than [RG] Snyman’s injury and I think it is,” he said.

He added that Hanrahan is the best option at 10 from a very limited depth chart at present.

“The depth in the 10 slot is a problem, and JJ didn’t play well,” Quinlan said.

“He made mistakes and made errors and missed those vital kicks.

“They’re the ones that you’ve got to nail in the big games, and he’s got to take ownership of that.”

Quinlan did not place the poor performance entirely on Hanrahan, though, as he acknowledged that Munster’s forwards did not provide him with a solid platform to work off of.

“It’s hard to single out one guy,” he said. “He’s playing behind a pack that are not imposing themselves, so he can argue that point.

“But the kicks, they can happen to anyone, but they’re just significant moments.

“He’s a confidence player and he looks like he’s drained of that confidence in some of these big moments.”

Joey Carbery of Munster successfully converts Keith Earls' try during the Heineken Champions Cup Quarter-Final match between Edinburgh and Munster at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Paul Devlin/Sportsfile

Munster have a number of untested young flyhalves in their squad that Quinlan thinks deserve a chance to prove themselves.

“You’ve got to see Jack Crawley, Ben Healy, Jake Flannery, there’s three really good young promising players there,” he said.

“They’ve got to get some game time and give them a chance at it and hope Carbery transitions back into the side as well.

“Aside from whether JJ played well or not, he’s 31, he’s been around a long time, they’ve got to bring in these young out halves.”

Madigan moments

In contrast to the performance of Hanrahan for Munster, Ian Madigan’s clutch cameo for Ulster sealed them a final slot against Leinster on Saturday.

Madigan was on the field for just over ten minutes against Edinburgh and scored five crucial points to make Ulster only the second team to win a PRO 14 semi-final away from home.

Both of Madigan’s kicks were pressure-filled, from difficult positions on the field, which he successfully converted into points.

“[Ian] Madigan showed real balls, not just to get the penalty at the end but to get the conversion from John Andrews’s try was a great strike,” Quinlan said.

“The penalty at the end, funnily enough it might sound strange, it’s a free shot.

“It’s not to win the game and if he misses, they lose, it’s a free shot.”

Ian Madigan of Ulster celebrates with Ulster skills coach Dan Soper after kicking the game winning penalty during the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final match between Edinburgh and Ulster at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Bill Murray/Sportsfile

In the final 30 seconds of the match, with scores tied at 19-a-piece, Madigan calmly kicked over the match-winning penalty.

Quinlan said that that type of pressure is what makes Madigan the player that he is.

“He is a big game player; he loves that bit of pressure,” Quinlan said.

“That’s a mindset thing, that’s where you become really strong.”

Quinlan added that he never doubted whether Madigan would make the final kick or not.

“I just felt, and I’m sure many people felt that he was just going to get it,” he said.

“He’s just that kind of fella who has that bit of swagger, and I felt that he was going to get the kick and it was brilliantly executed.

“Sometimes [through] the body language of players you know that they’re going to respond [to the criticism], and [Jordan] Larmour did and Madigan did.

“Sometimes that’s the difference in winning those critical moments in matches.”

He added what the victory means for Ulster, particularly after the last two weeks that they have had.

“[It is a] massive win for Ulster, because they’ve been poor in the last few weeks, and they’re in a final now; they have the bragging rights,” Quinlan said.

“They have a chance to have a go at Leinster.”

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.