Keith Wood On Who He Thinks Is Munster’s Most Underrated Player

“We’d be extolling the virtues if it was an All Black.”

Former Ireland hooker Keith Wood thinks centre Rory Scannell is Munster’s most underrated player. Wood was speaking on Off The Ball last night and discussed Munster’s bonus-point win over Cardiff the weekend.

Wood reckons Munster were far from spectacular, but played well in the second-half. He also reckons the PRO14 is starting to have a two-tier feel to it.

“I thought Munster first half was solid, not spectacular, and they just absolutely ramped up the game in the second half,” he said, adding that there is a two-tier feel to the Pro14 with Leinster, Scarlets, Munster and Glasgow ahead of the pack.”

In terms of players that stood out for him, Wood reckons JJ Hanrahan is a better player having shed some weight over the summer. But the man that he’s been really impressed with is Rory Scannell.

“Munster scored some great tries and JJ Hanrahan, I have to say, for me he looks to have shed a bit of weight. He looked incredibly well balanced but I was interested in two things that really stuck out for me.”

“He seemed to be at an awful lot of the breakdowns after he came on. He ran really, really good support lines, positive lines. And I think Rory Scannell is the most-underrated player we have at the moment. His little offload for the try for JJ’s first try was just deft and beautiful and we’d be extolling the virtues if it was an All Black and this is a fairly unflashy centre who ran a really, good, hard line.”