MUNSTER 21- 16 OSPREYS
“I think we’ll see him in the red and green jersey next season.”
Ronan O’Gara called it back in April of this year.
The former Munster outhalf was giving his take on the signings made by Rassie Erasmus for the 2017/18 season when he focused on their smartest one – Chris Farrell coming over from Grenoble. The former Ireland U20 and Ulster centre had spent three seasons in the Top 14 and was coming home to make a Test claim.
One of the main motivators in his switch was conversations with Ireland head coach. If he returned to Ireland, buckled down and performed well, he could have a future in the Test game.
On Farrell, O’Gara said:
“At six-foot-five and with his variety of skills, he has something to offer at national level that we haven’t seen. The guy is the same size as Joe Rokocoko or Donnacha Ryan and he’s playing in the centre.
“His passing game, left to right and right to left, is really good. He’s working with an under the radar coach in Mike Prendergast down at Grenoble and he has been mentoring him for two years. He has been drilling skills into Chris; he’s not just a gym monkey.”
The Tyrone native has started life well at Munster and is already forming a destructive midfield partnership with Jaco Taute. Excitingly, for Munster fans, bringing Rory Scannell in at stages offers the dual playmaker option with either Farrell or Taute just off the shoulder.
Farrell has now started three games for Munster and is proving as effective in attack as he is force- and purposeful in defence. He had a fine game in increasingly rain-sodden conditions against Ospreys, in the Guinness PRO14, and one superb moment stood out from the first half.
With Munster spreading the ball out right and wide, Farrell stepped back inside and burst through two Ospreys – including the normally flawless Justin Tipuric – to race clear and find Alan O’Connor in support.
The break and pass alone did not get Darren Sweetnam over in the corner.
Farrell was straight in to support O’Connor when he was tackled short of the Ospreys line. He cleared out the ruck to keep the move alive and Ospreys in trouble. Taute arrived and his looping pass found Sweetnam on his own out wide to get a try all wingers love to score.
That score had Munster in the ascendancy but Ospreys chipped away at the lead to make it 18-16, to Munster, in the closing stages.
Farrell was out there until the death – tackling, ruck-clearing, supporting and carrying away. With seven minutes on the clock and the Welsh side attacking, Farrell combined with Andrew Conway for a brutal choke-tackle that won a crucial turnover.
The Northern Irishman is going about things the right way. Schmidt is watching and Farrell is on course to feature in the November Series squad.
