Trying to figure out the four-point deficit on Guinness PRO14 Conference A winners Glasgow Warriors during the league campaign just concluded is not too much of a stretch.

Though Munster matched Dave Rennie’s side for wins and had a better points difference thanks to a superior defence over 21 rounds, and despite scoring just one less try than their rivals, the try bonus point column underlines the problem, the Scots having earned 15 of those compared to Munster’s 11.

That lack of ruthlessness on the tryline has cost them the home semi-final they were so desperate to achieve.

So while conference winners Glasgow and Leinster glided straight into the semis by right, Munster must go back to the coalface this Saturday when Benetton come calling to Thomond Park for a semi-final play-off.

Van Graan intimated on Monday that improving Munster’s attack would be the focus of his search when adding to his coaching ticket.

Felix Jones currently serves as attack and backline coach and is understood to not be under threat by the current recruitment process, but Farrell believes tweaks to the attacking gameplan are necessary here and now if Munster are to realise their ambition of finally landing silverware for the first time since 2011.

For one, the outside centre built like a forward at 1.91m and 110kg feels he could be used more effectively.

“I certainly try and play to my strengths,” Farrell said. “That is the power game and having ball in hand and carrying.

“But I think we can do it more so than we are at the minute. Even in terms of using me as a distributor or as someone just to suck in defences because eventually teams will realise that I may be used to get momentum and they will start to see that and adjust their defences.

“So look, we can definitely find space outside of me or behind me – whatever way we can by manipulating defences by using me in different ways.”

Asked if that left him feeling frustrated, Farrell replied: “Definitely, yeah… It’s late in the season to be revolutionising your attack, but there are small things that we can do between now and hopefully beyond this week if we get beyond this week, which is massive.

With Joey back and Keith Earls back and Conor Murray back, these guys are massive in terms of zipping balls to you, so that you have a little bit more split seconds of extra time to do things with and see space.

Farrell, 26, agreed with the suggestion that Munster’s attack needed to improvement having failed to fire when it mattered, in both Europe and the league.

“Yeah, that is fair. It is the last aspect of our game that needs to kick on and needs a little bit of work because everything else is so good.

“Our defence, in general, has been the best in the competition this season and our set-piece is working really well.

"So if we can change our attack a slight bit, just to get a little bit more out of it and attack space in the right areas, then we definitely will be a lot better.”

The Ireland outside centre and former Ulster academy man is attempting to make up for lost time having suffered a serious knee injury in his debut season having joined from Grenoble in the summer of 2017.

Farrell returned from his seven-month injury lay-off in late November to resume his role as starting outside centre and also donning the Ireland 13 jersey in the Six Nations wins over Italy and Scotland.

He credits Joe Schmidt with adding subtleties to his aforementioned power game.

“Joe has been one of the best coaches at seeing general space, general flow attack and getting the best out of every player, whether it be forwards, backs, centres, wingers.

"It is not even just Joe but Johnny Sexton as well: he expects so much from everyone else and he directs everybody else in the way that he wants to find space.

“Us as a province, we need to bring that into our training more so than we have done. I suppose that is the next phase for us.”

Acknowledging that was easier said than done, Farrell explained: “It’s about getting forwards and backs together. It’s about having everybody on the same page.

"One thing that we need to develop is our forwards being on the same page as our backs.

"It’s not about a forward unit working and then a backs unit separately whenever they want the ball. It’s about having both.”

*Welsh referee Nigel Owens has been handed the whistle for Saturday afternoon’s Thomond Park clash with Ireland’s Andrew Brace taking charge of the evening kick-off, the interprovincial play-off between Ulster and Connacht in Belfast.