The Cell C Sharks take on Munster this Saturday in their historic entry into the Vodacom United Rugby Championship with some inside knowledge of Irish and northern hemisphere rugby.
Newly acquired assistant coach Noel McNamara has coached the Irish national Under 20 side as well as both the Ireland and Leinster schools representative teams and Leinster A. He brings a wealth of understanding of the intricacies and nuances of rugby in Ireland as the team to prepare for their opening URC clash this weekend.
His expectations are that it’s going to be a huge clash, with both sides intent on getting their campaigns off to a winning start and looking to dominate the competition early on.
We know what the Cell C Sharks have achieved over the last 18 months, but not a lot is known about their Irish opposition due to the nature of global franchise rugby and the Covid pandemic.
“Munster have been successful over the last number of years, they have a settled coaching staff led by South African Johann van Graan, they’ve been really consistent as far as coaching structures go,” McNamara explains.
“They’re a momentum team, when they get momentum, they’re very difficult to stop so they’re going to present a lot of challenges for us, there’s absolutely no doubt in our minds about that.
“But the overriding feeling is one of excitement. The players are motivated by the challenge, no one thinks it’s going to be easy but we’re looking forward to it.”
In a recent warm-up match, a youthful Munster side took a comfortable win against Exeter which proves just how good they are.
“The reality is that they have a very good squad with a number of internationals in different positions and they have some very good young players coming through. Although they have a few players unavailable or away with the Springboks, but the reality is that with a club like Munster, they have a lot of depth.
“Regardless of the team they’ve selected, they will present a huge challenge and I wouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security with a couple of their players being unavailable. Whoever they select will present a massive challenge for us.”
Northern Hemisphere teams are renowned for their physical play with a focus on dominating at the set-piece. But he explains that this not the only challenge that Munster bring.
“They have a good turnover game with strong players attacking the ball and when you play teams like this, you have to be on point and accurate in that area which is something we’re acutely conscious of.
“They also have a variety of kickers who bring various kicking threats so we have to be prepared for an all across the park kicking game.
“The reality of a game such as this is that you have to have your focus on an 80-20 principle. We’re also focused on ourselves, it’s about us trying to impose our game as well. If we spend all our time worrying about Munster, we’re probably barking up the wrong tree. There are certain things we know we need to get right and ultimately there’s a big focus on us and what we can bring to the game.”
Recent Posts
- Junior Springbok Squad Named For Short Georgian Tour
- Welsh Players, Staff And Coaches Are All Frustrated Following Loss To Italy
- Forwards Delivered A Great Platform For Ireland
- Test Match Derby Draws Second Biggest Crowd Of URC Season
- Only A Fool Will Write Boland Landbou’s 2025 Chances Off
- Recruiting Force Graeme College To Cut All Ties With Kingswood College
- Francke Horn Re-Commits To Emirates Lions
- Time For Etzebeth To Put His Family And Health Ahead Of World Cup 2027 Ambitions?
- Willie Le Roux At Flyhalf Had Good And Bad Moments Against DHL Stormers
- Ireland Continued Dominance Over Scotland With Bonus Point Win
- England Ready To Fight According To Captain Maro Itoje
- Dupont And Ramos Disappointed After England Defeat
- First Win For Free State As Bulls Daisies Dominate Again In Women’s Premier Division
- DHL Stormers Running On Empty
- Ireland U20 Secure Win With Early Four Try Blitzkrieg Over Scotland U20