Every fly-half looks great behind a pack going forward, you can only play what’s in front of you, how much can you take from an Ulster side trailing 29-0 at half-time?
They’re all valid points when trying to assess a fly-half’s performance in a one-sided mauling.
Munster throttled an injury hit Ulster 64-7 on Saturday evening and they did it with ease as the scoreline might suggest. The hosts wrapped up a four try bonus point win just before half-time with centre Dan Goggin and openside flanker Tommy O’Donnell both crossing for two-try braces before running in five tries unanswered in the second-half to inflict a record defeat against Ulster.
Munster were great on the counter attack and punished Ulster after just six minutes from a Peter O’Mahony turnover. Alex Wootton showed great footwork to set up Goggin in a new look backline with the former serving as a late replacement for the injured Mike Haley (hamstring), but for the most part, Munster’s scores in the first-half came from a source of old; a dominant forward pack winning penalties, kicking for the corner and driving their way over the line.
Johann van Graan’s side had to make a statement after last week’s forgettable loss in Cardiff. Munster had the best defence in both the PRO14 and the Champions Cup Pool stages last season and they looked more like that side on Saturday than the team that conceded 23 points unanswered in the second-half at the Cardiff Arms Park last Friday.
The combination of a good defence with a point to prove, a dominant forward pack and an Ulster side without Jordi Murphy, Marty Moore, Rory Best, Marcell Coetzee, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale and Iain Henderson, for at least 60 minutes, was always going to challenge Ulster and set up a strong platform for Joey Carbery.
Carbery had some moments of brilliance against Cardiff and some moments he’d probably like back but what can you really expect from a 22-year-old utility back that is really experiencing his first full season as a first-choice fly-half?
Mistakes should be expected from the Munster playmaker but it’s his confidence to try passes and make plays that is really encouraging at this stage of his development.
Here's that Joey Carbery pass in the first-half. He made a few mistakes last week against Cardiff but he backs himself to make plays and try things. Type of confidence that led to Peter O'Mahony's try later in the game. #MUNvULS pic.twitter.com/Q3lkh3A4xV
— Jack O'Toole (@jackjotoole) September 29, 2018
Carbery played 14 games for Leinster last season but just one of those appearances came at fly-half; 80 minutes against Treviso in April.
He has started three games for Munster so far this season and he already has three try assists. His open field running is clear to see. It was clear to see at Leinster in his first two seasons and it was clear against Cardiff last week and again against Ulster on Saturday night.
The question around Carbery is can he step in and control a game from 10 and we’re seeing signs that he can continue to develop in this area.
He showed his kicking ability against the Ospreys, his playmaking ability in the close and on the fringes against Cardiff and his long range passing against Ulster. When he puts it all together Munster will have a genuine star in their ranks and a long term answer to a position that they’ve struggled to permanently fill over the last few seasons.
https://twitter.com/jackjotoole/status/1046135803477405698
Carbery looked good outside new scrum-half Alby Matthewson who made his long awaited debut after a six week struggle to attain a work permit.
The two native New Zealanders will face a much tougher test when they head to the Aviva Stadium to face Leinster next weekend but the win over Ulster validates Carbery’s move south.
You can only play what’s in front of you but games like Saturday’s help build confidence, in not only yourself, but also in those around you.
“He’s very calm and composed,” said Munster second-row Billy Holland of Carbery after the game.
“He’s an intelligent player. He’s one of these guys that seems to have a lot of time on the ball. He’s very clear in what he wants, which is great, and I think he’s helped all of our 10’s as well this season.
“I think the other lads have taken quite a bit from him, which is good, from a forward’s point of view, when you’re going nowhere there’s one or two times that you should put the ball in behind which is what you want.
“You just want to be going forward. You don’t always want to be carrying into brick walls so varying up that game as a 10 and having that time on the ball is great.”
Just having him there is probably even greater.
