Munster must evolve.

Ronan O’Gara is absolutely over the moon with Joey Carbery’s decision to join Munster next season. O’Gara urged Munster to chase Carbery last month, stating he was ‘struggling to understand why Munster are not in the frame for Carbery.’

Well it turns out they were in the frame, with head coach Johann van Graan working his magic behind the scenes, securing the 22-year-old maverick for at least the next two seasons.

Writing in his Irish Examiner column, O’Gara says he got an ‘instant buzz’ as soon as the news reached him in New Zealand.

“It’s rare now I get an instant buzz from something that’s not on a pitch in front of me, but such was the sensation, even in a different hemisphere, when Joey Carbery confirmed his career direction yesterday.” O’Gara writes.

But O’Gara says Munster must change their current game plan in order to get the very best out of Carbery when he joins. The former Munster and Ireland outhalf says they must develop a game plan that ensure they “get him on the ball as often as they can.”

“If you want to see the best of Joey Carbery, Munster needs to get him on the ball as often as they can, and that means [Johann] van Graan and his staff must develop a game plan that is different to what they are about at the moment,” O’Gara continued.

“Munster kick the ball in the air and they pressure opposition. That’s seeing the best of Conor Murray — it’s not seeing the best of the 10.

“It’s not like they throw the pressure game in the dumpster. It’s in the locker for when it’s required. But they need to add a few layers of a phase game, playing off 10 and not nine.

“Carbery will be well able to do all his basics, but the game plan he is orchestrating has to evolve.”