Many Munster fans would readily agree to this and Ulster are not in a position to be picky.
The Guinness PRO14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster once again highlighted an issue that has dogged the southern province since Ronan O’Gara retired in 2013.
JJ Hanrahan was getting a run of starts after Ian Keatley had the 10 jersey for most of the season but he only lasted 40 minutes after picking up a hip pointer injury. Hanrahan had hardly taken a scruff of the game in the first half and Ross Byrne looked the more assured outhalf.
Keatley came on for the second half and missed a tough conversion from the touchline and Conor Murray was the one grabbing the ball and pointing for the posts when the next kickable penalty was awarded (Munster ended up kicking for touch). Johnny Sexton, meanwhile, was in his Leinster civvies of crisp shirt and trousers up in The RDS stands, king of all he observed.
Joey Carbery started at 15 and shared the kicking duties with Byrne but he looks a level or two down from the attacking livewire that burst onto the scene in 2016/17. What Carbery needs is a decent run in one position and the chance to call the shots, or most of them.
James Downey and Bernard Jackman discussed Carbery’s future on The Hard Yards and the was a novel suggestion to keep the 22-year-old, Munster and Ulster happy.
A listener posed an interesting scenario that saw Carbery heading to Munster next season and Keatley heading north to play for Ulster and “nurture” promising outhalf Johnny McPhillips over the next couple of seasons.
The bonus here would be Carbery and Conor Murray getting game-time together as Munster’s 9-10 axis, which would in turn benefit Ireland.
“There is a value in this instance [a Carbery move] because you’ve got a guy who is the back-up 10 for Ireland getting very limited game time at 10 for his province,” said Jackman.
“Munster would have Keats and JJ… but their problem is that Tyler Bleyendaal is so injury prone. JJ started at the weekend but he hasn’t had a clear run at 10. It’s always worth talking about it, though.
“The fact that the IRFU seem to have made a decision that it would be best for Joey to move means that it’s not pie in the sky. It’s a valid discussion. I can understand why Leinster would not like to lose him. If Johnny was injured, they’d have two very good 10s in Joey and Ross. Leinster will feel that they developed them. It’s an emotional one for everyone involved.
“Connacht would not have wanted to lose John Cooney. They would have preferred to have had two quality 9s [in him and Kieran Marmion] but it’s about standing back, taking the emotion away and deciding what’s going to best serve the player and best serve the country.”
Interestingly, Jackman feels Ulster will end up with ‘a foreign 10’ next season as Carbery would be off on Ireland duty for large tracts of the season especially as there is a World Cup on the horizon.
A foreign 10? Time, perhaps, to get the ‘Quade Cooper for Ulster’ campaign going again…
