Making grade at no 8
Having cut his teeth against the
IT has been a gruelling season. Munster and Leinster have been on the go now for the bones of 10 months and physical and mental fatigue will always be a factor after that length of time.
The physical toll is proven by the extensive injury list which threatens to unhinge Ireland's summer expedition to Australia and New Zealand (a further test of the endurance levels of the country's top players, many of whom travelled to South Africa with the Lions at the same time last year).
Mentally, with the end in sight, the challenge is just as great, motivational triggers need to be located to provide adrenaline for the final push. Last year, the carrot of a Heineken Cup title was the firing mechanism for both provinces, this time around it is the Magners League -- something of a consolation prize, but still meaningful silverware to show that all the effort was worthwhile.
Tuesday afternoon, and Munster's players are being put through their paces at their University of Limerick training base for the umpteenth time this season ahead of Saturday's semi-final showdown with Leinster at the RDS. When the session ends, coach Tony McGahan makes his way up to the UL Sports Bar for his umpteenth media conference.
He readily acknowledges that Munster have only had an "okay" season, that Leinster have had the upper hand in their recent meetings and expresses the squad's determination to end the campaign on a positive note.
The low-key affair is over in a matter of minutes and McGahan is getting up to leave when he is detained by a final question on James Coughlan -- the Munster No 8 who has been a huge success story this season and a somewhat unexpected one.
Denis Leamy's long-tern injury was a serious blow to Munster and, with Aucklander Nick Williams never quite stepping up to the plate, No 8 became a problem position. The emergence of Coughlan -- Irish rugby's 'late bloomer' -- has been a considerable boost.
frustrating
The story has been well documented. The promising schools player with CBC Cork who became a club stalwart with Dolphin when the professional rugby boat initially sailed by (particularly frustrating as the vessel stopped off to pick up club-mate Tomas O'Leary, who shot up the professional ladder while Coughlan toiled away in the AIL).
However, benefiting from a successful stint with the Ireland Sevens squad, Coughlan was brought into the Munster set-up as a fringe player with occasional cameos (notably against the All Blacks in 2008), but appeared destined for a bit-part role until McGahan took the plunge for the crucial home Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Northampton. The Australian's faith was handsomely repaid.
Although it was previous coach Declan Kidney who initially brought Coughlan into the set-up, McGahan deserves great credit for developing this player in his late 20s. Munster's coach is not one to single out individuals for special mention, but McGahan was happy to make an exception last Tuesday.
"James is a great advertisement for any player, whether you are professional, an amateur or even a senior player," said McGahan. "He has a tremendous attitude and he deserves everything that has come his way. If you're able to work hard and make sacrifices, there is a pathway there and James deserves great credit -- he has hung in there for the last four or five years and worked as hard as he could and waited for his opportunity.
"He has had disappointment with injuries, he has had disappointment with selection, but got the opportunity to show on the big stage that with consistency of selection and consistency of form, that he is able to compete at that level.
"James' progress is testament to the club competition in Ireland. It's a testament to any young man playing club rugby that there is an opportunity to put yourself forward to play professionally at the highest level."
It was heartening to hear an overseas coach acknowledge Ireland's much-maligned club game and there is no doubt Coughlan's commitment to that cause has aided his breakthrough. Nor has he lessened that commitment since making the step up. The 29-year-old made seven AIL appearances for Dolphin this season up to last January's win over Clontarf and was a significant factor in the club reaching the league semi-finals for the first time.
There was no danger of Coughlan turning into a 'Billy Big Balls' when he suddenly became a Munster star and though the Northampton game denied him the opportunity of playing in the crucial semi-final encounter with eventual champions Cork Constitution, Coughlan was down at the club that week talking to the squad and doing what he could to maximise their chances of victory.
When it came to the Heineken Cup semi-final against Biarritz, Coughlan found himself up against the outstanding talent of Imanol Harinordoquy. By rights, the France No 8 should not even have been playing -- forced to wear a ridiculous face mask to protect the nose surgery he had undergone a few days previously -- but, despite taking a fearful hammering, Harinordoquy produced a remarkable display that was pivotal to Biarritz's hard-fought victory. However, up against this extraordinary player, Coughlan acquitted himself superbly, playing a key role in Keith Earls' try and proving consistently effective despite the Munster pack being on the back foot.
Now, he squares off against Leinster's Jamie Heaslip, a player deservedly ranked with Harinordoquy and Italy's Sergio Parisse as one of the best No 8s in the game. After his Grand Slam and Lions heroics of 2009, Heaslip has put in another phenomenal season with province and country.
His consistent excellence is a cornerstone of Leinster's challenge for end-of-season honours and he has become as much of a figurehead in the forwards as Brian O'Driscoll is in the backline. Although, the Kildare man is considerably further along the rugby path than Coughlan and obviously made the breakthrough a lot sooner, the two share a common, club-related past.
Heaslip's rugby education was enhanced by his time with Trinity College and, rather than make the quick and inevitable jump to a professional career, insisted on remaining with the College Park crew until he had completed his degree. Once the professional step was taken, Heaslip's progress has been swift and assured to the point where he looks the natural choice to succeed O'Driscoll as Ireland captain.
Saturday's match-up will be intriguing on many fronts, with more than enough strands to energise flagging limbs, and the contest between the No 8s is a fascinating story within a story. Heaslip versus Coughlan, two different paths, two top-quality No 8s and two AIL clubhouses that take great pride from their roles in the tale.
- Hugh Farrelly
Irish Independent
