David Corkery on Peter O'Mahony's brilliance, Munster's new recruits and why France will beat Ireland
Ireland's Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray, left, celebrates winning in Scotland. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady
What a few weeks it’s been for Munster and Irish rugby so where do I start?
Firstly, we get the news that Munster have finally found their new top dog.
After what seems to have been an extensive recruitment process it was announced that Clayton McMillan will join the province in July from his role as Head Coach of New Zealand Super Rugby side, the Chiefs.
I guess no one can predict what McMillan’s three-year tenure will produce, but what I do know is that if he doesn’t get the resources to sign a set of world-class front-row forwards, Munster rugby will go nowhere. In fact they'll go backwards just their pack did last weekend w
hen they lost to a very poor Edinburgh outfit in the URC in Cork.
If Munster truly wants to get back to winning trophies on a consistent basis they need to stop giving other teams cast-offs a place of refuge. They signed Michael Milne and Lee Barron on two-year deals from Leinster. We'll have to see if they're good enough or why they weren't retained up there.
The second bit of news that broke this week was the impending retirement of Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony. Time waits for no man and I guess the writing was on the wall for some time with regards to these two living legends.
O’Mahony will hang up the boots for good at the end of the season and it's testament to the level of discipline he has given to the game that he has lasted this long. Drive, desire and commitment are traits that players like Peter O’Mahony are born with.
Discipline is something that must be nourished and grown within though.
You can have all the elements that go into making a world-class player, but if you don’t have the discipline to use them in the correct fashion, you have nothing.
Murray on the other hand seems to be looking around for another challenge and who can blame him? If the Limerick man still feels his body is up to it, he should keep going.
The game owes these two players nothing but gratitude. We thank them for their efforts and wish them nothing but the best.
If they beat a brilliant France they'll be the first team ever to do so. With Italy left after Saturday's game, that'll mean another Grand Slam too.
People feel Italy are improving but truth be told they are not. Like Munster unless they get their grassroots infrastructures in order they will continue to struggle when it matters.
They win the odd game here and there but they must establish some kind of consistency; beating Wales one week and getting obliterated the next by France is not the best way of doing it.
Ireland against France tomorrow was always going to the crunch game. If Ireland are going to win they must do three things.
Firstly, there can be no missed tackles. Should any of the French strike runners make it in behind the first line of defence it is highly likely they will score.
Secondly, the Irish scrum and line-out must at the very least obtain parity. Any imbalance will give the visitors a serious advantage.
Dupont is a once in a generation talent player with the ability to sway any test match and it is critical the Irish backrow pressure him at every single breakdown.
Give this man an inch and he will take a mile.
Going on form France should win, but a yellow card here and a red one there and who knows what could happen?
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