Munster could edge out Leinster in several key areas

Leinster and Munster will face off yet again in the PRO 14 semi-finals this weekend, Alan Quinlan talked match ups on OTB AM on Monday.

Leinster hosted Munster in their first game back post-lockdown two weeks ago in what was a highly competitive encounter.

On Friday, the two sides will likely front up their best available sides for another classic derby.

Quinlan believes that there are a number of key matchups that could swing the game in either side’s favour.

“[Munster] will feel that with [Damian] de Allende in the side, with [Tadgh] Beirne back, Conor Murray playing very well again, that they have a shot,” said the former Munster and Irish flanker.

“They’ve probably got to get their best performance and stop Leinster a little bit.”

Tall timber

Munster have dominated the lineout set-piece over the last two weeks, enjoying a 100 per cent success rate on their own ball since their return to play.

“Munster’s lineout was very good yesterday [against Connacht], they won 21 from 21 (sic). Their execution has been very good,” Quinlan said.

In reality, they won all 22 lineouts on their own throw, and disrupted at least two of Connacht’s throws as well.

This came after they disrupted at least three of Leinster’s lineouts the previous week.

“I think Peter O’Mahony and Tadgh Beirne and whether it is Billy Holland or Fineen Wycherley putting pressure on Leinster is an area which any team will try and do,” Quinlan said.

“Leinster’s attack from set-piece, particularly off the lineout, has been sublime at times and it has been a massive strength for them over the last few years.”

An injury to James Ryan has seen Leinster have to call up younger players.

James Ryan of Leinster during the Heineken Champions Cup Pool 1 Round 2 match between Lyon and Leinster at Matmut Stadium in Lyon, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

“Ryan Baird played very well against Munster, but it is an area that is probably just a bit lighter for them,” Quinlan said.

He thinks that the seasoned head of Devin Toner would help settle Leinster’s lineout woes for this clash.

“Leinster will have a number of players back and there probably will be a lot of pressure on Ronan Kelleher to get those lineouts right and get the calling systems right,” he said.

“Maybe Toner will start to sort out those lineout problems that they had against Munster in the first game.

On Monday, Leinster released a statement which said that James Ryan might be available for selection following his injury.

The potential inclusion of Ryan in the squad, along with Toner, Baird and Scott Fardy could help the Leinster lineout, against the pressure from the Munster jumpers.

Breakdown battle

Quinlan sees the battle at the breakdown as the key if Munster are to come out on top. “Ultimately it will be down to what’s going to happen up front,” he said.

“With [CJ] Stander, O’Mahony and who plays seven, whether it be Tommy O’Donnell, [Chris] Cloete, Jack O’Donaghue, who knows?"

O’Mahony has been in good form post-lockdown, both at the lineout and in open play.

Against Leinster, he made 13 tackles and won a turnover, while also making ground with ball in hand in 13 carries.

However, he lacked a bit of this form against Connacht, as he only made seven tackles and spent 1o minutes on the sideline after receiving a yellow card.

Chris Cloete of Munster is tackled by Conor O'Brien and Jimmy O'Brien of Leinster during the Guinness PRO14 Round 9 match between Munster and Leinster at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

While Tommy O’Donnell and Chris Cloete have both started a game at seven since the return to play, Cloete could arguably be the better choice to start on Friday.

The 29-year-old South African made 20 tackles against Connacht without missing one, and also earned a turnover for his efforts.

Stander has been the difference maker for Munster though.

“I think Stander has been fantastic in both games and he’s forced a number of turnovers,” Quinlan said.

Stander contributed five turnovers to Munster’s total seven turnovers against Leinster two weeks ago and has only missed one tackle in the past two weeks.

CJ Stander of Munster is tackled by Jonathan Sexton of Leinster during the Guinness PRO14 Round 14 match between Leinster and Munster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

By contrast,  Leinster have not settled on their first choice loose forward trio, opting instead to rotate for each match.

Caelin Doris, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan will likely make the cut to start on Friday, but their depth in the back row is strong.

“Will Connors was brilliant, Josh Murphy was brilliant and Max Deegan, so the back row depth is phenomenal,” Quinlan said.

“You look at Scott Penny when he came off the bench the other night and had a massive impact.”

Doris and Van der Flier won three turnovers between them against Munster, while Conan made thirteen tackles and missed three in the same match.

Centre of attention

“Stephen Larkham will try to get as much quality ball to his backline on Friday night… That’s where they can probably ask the questions,” Quinlan said.

“They’ll take hope and a lot of confidence from the fact that when they build a number of phases, they created a lot of opportunities.”

Munster have used the same centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Chris Farrell in both of their matches so far.

Damian de Allende of Munster is tackled by Conor Fitzgerald of Connacht during the Guinness PRO14 Round 15 match between Munster and Connacht at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

“With De Allende and Farrell, if they get good quality ball to them, they can cause problems for Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose, who are outstanding, experienced players,” Quinlan said.

Munster fans have yet to see the full potential of the South African inside centre, as De Allende has mainly been used as a dummy runner to set the trap for Farrell to break through.

De Allende has great passing ability, which Quinlan thinks can come in handy to get the ball out to Munster’s wings.

“[Keith] Earls and [Andrew] Conway, if they get enough ball on the wings, they can score tries as they’ve shown,” he said.

At 6 foot 4’ and weighing just over 100kg, De Allende has a lot of power that he has used to not only gain metres after being tackled but also secure the ball at the breakdown.

Friday might be the time for Van Graan to utilise De Allende as a ball-carrier more than he has over the past two weeks.

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