The raw stats will tell you that Sam Arnold and Rory Scannell combined for 20 tackles, two turnovers, 15 carries and 71 metres gained. Munster players, coaches and fans will tell you they brought so much more.
Arnold and Scannell partnered each other in Europe for the first time, against Castres, in January. Saturday at Thomond Park saw Toulon come to Limerick with a gigantic backline that featured Ma’a Nonu and Mathieu Bastareaud in midfield.
By the end of a hellacious match, the All Blacks legend and French powerhouse had combined for just 46 metres off 14 carries with only one clean break. That break saw ‘Basta’ set up Chris Ashton’s try but the pair were otherwise contained, and flung back on countless occasions.
At the end of Munster’s 20-19 Champions Cup quarter final victory, here is how we rated the hometown centres:
Sammy Arnold – 8
Forced a Chris Ashton knock-on and prevented a try, all in the one tackle. Made a huge tackle on Mathieu Bastareaud as he flung him to the deck. Same again after the break as another big tackle on Semi Radrada saw Munster get possession back.
Rory Scannell – 8
Some big carries, right up the guts, and flung every ounce of himself into the game. Nice carry off a Rhys Marshall lineout fling. Dragged Ashton over the sidelines to win a turnover (lineout). Teamed up with Arnold to win a turnover midway through the second half.
Munster captain Peter O’Mahony was even more effusive in his praise.
“They were up against guys who were momentum-givers, world-class athletes, world-class players who have played in a lot of big rugby games.” O’Mahony added:
“It was Sammy Arnold’s first knockout game in Europe, Rory Scans, I thought our back three were quality. Last-ditch tackles against bigger men than them, and I thought they took a lot of momentum away from them.
“We spoke about it. We knew that their big momentum-givers were, obviously Duane Vermeulen at eight, but Nonu and Bastareaud give them their go-forward ball and I don’t think they did today.
“I thought they were stopped by the lads. That went a good way to putting us on the front foot.”
That they certainly did. Just about every Munster back gave up kilos and inches to their opposite number [Conor Murray and Ian Keatley the exceptions] but the men in red won most of the collisions that mattered.
Arnold rag-dolled Bastareaud on one occasion and, moments after he was taped up around his noggin, called the ball on himself. Give it me. I want the ball.
https://twitter.com/threeredkings/status/980158834965696513
That is the sign of a man who is ready and more than capable to survive, and thrive, at this level. Arnold hounded Toulon all day and Scannell was never far behind, hitting rucks with every ounce of his being.
At the final whistle, Arnold was patched up but beaming. He raised matchwinner Andrew Conway’s arm aloft so he could get his fill of adulation. The centre deserved a huge slice of that himself.
Joe Schmidt had Scannell and Arnold in for training runs during the Six Nations but should go one further this summer. Both men should join Conway in the Ireland squad to tour Australia this summer.
Ireland has a sudden abundance of midfield talent but there is surely enough room on that flight Down Under to include the two young Munster stars that de-clawed Toulon’s two giant midfield totems.
