Tom Ahern's move from second to back row was hiding in plain sight, and Munster head coach Graham Rowntree says we should expect to see a lot more of the 23-year-old wearing the number 6 shirt this season.
The 6f 9in forward had been regarded as one of the best second row prospects in the country in recent years, but his short-term future looks set to be in the back row after impressing in his short run of games in that position.
Ahern's name first popped up on the Munster team sheet in the back row last month ahead of his side's meeting with Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. The former Ireland U20 international's speed and agility have always belied his huge frame, and with three tries in just four games in his new role, it looks like he's a natural fit for how Munster attack. The only question is why it took us all so long to realise it.
Swapping from second to back row may not look like much on paper, but it does allow Ahern play to his strengths. The province tend to hold their flankers out on the wide channels, and his tries against Glasgow Warriors and Exeter Chiefs show that when they can get the ball to him in open space, he's a very hard man to stop.
The province are dealing with a near-injury crisis at present, particularly at second row where they were without Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley, Edwin Edogbo and RG Snyman for the meeting with Exeter last weekend. With that in mind it was notable that Rowntree resisted the urge to move Ahern back up to the second row, instead getting Gavin Coombes to shift up to lock.
And ahead of their St Stephen's Day rematch with Leinster at Thomond Park, Rowntree (below) says their initial experiment is likely to become a more permanent selection.
"I'm not going to lie, I think you’ll see Tom [Ahern] in the six role more," he said.
Ahern's only previous experience in the position came back at U18 level with his club Waterpark, and Rowntree says it's been a seamless fit.
"The day I asked him to do it, it was like a lightbulb went on in his eyes and he’s enjoying it out there.
"He’s not been perfect. I mean, he has to realise on both sides of the ball there’s some work to be done on the edge of the field."
The Munster coach was also full of praise for the versatility shown by Gavin Coombes, who has covered lock for the province on multiple occasions in the past 12 months. The 26-year-old led Munster's tackle count with 20 in the defeat to Exeter, while also coming up with two second half turnovers, one of which sparked the drive for Munster's fourth try.
"Gav will play anywhere.," Rowntree added.
"He’s like an engine you can put him anywhere to get some work done and you get the same output from Gav. We’ve moved him up to the second row from the back quite a few times and he’s important because he does a lot of work for us.
"So I’m very comfortable putting Gav in the row."
Ahern and Coombes were two positives to emerge from Sunday's defeat to Exeter, a result which leave Munster's Champions Cup knockout hopes in real danger.
Frustratingly, the province suffered a final quarter collapse at Sandy Park, conceding 19 unanswered points to see a 24-13 lead turn into a 32-24 defeat.
And Rowntree says the biggest lesson learned has been around composure.
"It's learning. We have to learn from it. You look at some of our composure bits from the last quarter of the game. Our second visit into their 22 we tried the lineout. On review, on reflection - bloody hindsight’s wonderful by the way - as a coach, on the video, we had a lineout to the back, went off the top, Conor knocks the ball on. In hindsight we could have tried something a bit simpler just to win the ball and get a foothold in their 22 and built some phase.
"At 63 minutes, we had a chance to exit our 22, we kicked the ball straight off, gave them a lineout. They ended up getting a penalty from that lineout, they go into the corner and they eventually score their second try. So that’s a composure piece, keeping the ball on the field as we planned to, but the caveat to that was a swirling wind.
"I think about the [Jack] Dunne try, their third try, and I think of our kick chase from that kick off. Composure, we weren’t really at where we’d trained in that facet of the game and we let them back into the game with the ball in behind us and Calvin [Nash] couldn’t gather it well.
"So those pieces, that’s composure, because with 63 minutes gone we were on our game, but we’ve just got to be better in those moments, particularly in a game where in the second half we hadn’t had a lot of possession. We didn’t see the ball a lot in that second half and we were into a swirling wind as well."
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