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Former Munster fly-half Ronan O’Gara has said that there needs to be a degree of patience with Joey Carbery this season and that he is still developing as an out-half.
Carbery moved to Limerick from Leinster during the summer and has made a great start to his career at Munster with 50 points through his first five starts at fly-half.
He has shown some brilliant flashes, and also some moments that he’d rather have back, but O’Gara thinks that his ability to attack and create openings during play has created a perception that he will have a similar effect to Barcelona’s all-time leading goalscorer Lionel Messi when he touches the ball.
Joey Carbery ag cruth̼ an deis do Conway. Sensational work from Joey Carbvery & Andrew Conway.@cardiff_blues 7 Р10 @Munsterrugby
Bà linn ar @TG4TV pic.twitter.com/ooBG5bzQoM— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) September 21, 2018
“In modern rugby the forwards win the game,” O’Gara said on Baz & Andrew’sHouse of Rugby, SportsJoe’s new rugby podcast.
“I’m still convinced about that but I think you have to remember that there’s a 22-year-old out-half who probably everyone expects that when he gets the ball he’s nearly like Messi now.
“I’d say to take expectation back a little bit and think of what he’ll be like in three years time when he’s 25. He’s nowhere near mature as an out-half.”
Listen to the full ROG interview from 17:30 below:
O’Gara also added that Carbery should really stand to benefit from the return of Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray who returned to Munster training last week from a neck injury.
Munster and Irish Rugby have refused to put a timeline on his return but it is believed that the 29-year-old could be available for Ireland’s November international series next month and O’Gara said that it’s unfair to expect Carbery to carry the mantle for Munster during Murray’s absence.
“There’s a nine [Neil Cronin] playing his second game in Ireland,” added Munster’s all-time leading scorer after the province’s Champions Cup draw with Exeter on Saturday.
“He’s the kind of senior half-back partner so I think that you’ll see him hit a new level when Conor is there. It’s unfair of him to be asked to carry that mantle at this stage.
“He should be coming into a settled team but it’s not settled because of [Chris] Farrell’s injury, [Jaco] Taute’s injury, [Rory] Scannell is a great player but it’s three into two there isn’t it?
“That’s without [Dan] Goggin and [Sam] Arnold and then what I like coming over the summer, and I’m not inside or I don’t have any moles in the camp who tells me what’s going on but I think Earlsy [Keith Earls] has kind of bucked up a bit and said ‘I’m sick of chasing box kicks, I want ball in hand’.
“But he’s probably the most dangerous back in Irish Rugby with ball in his hand.”
O’Gara also talked about Munster’s style, if they can change it and also what they can do with a full-strength team.
