Monday, October 11, 2010
AFTER only a few minutes of Saturday’s Heineken Cup contest at the Madejski Stadium, it became abundantly clear just why we love this tournament so much.
The pace, intensity, commitment and physicality right from the off was from a different stratosphere to anything we have witnessed so far this season.
It’s been a difficult week for Munster rugby. Off the field there was a changing of the guard with the iconic Moss Keane being laid to rest. The minute’s silence in his honour fittingly turned into a minute’s appreciation. With the benefit of hindsight that was appropriate. Mossie just didn’t do silence very well.
On the field things were changing at a rapid rate also. First the loss of Tomás O’Leary with a broken thumb and later confirmation of the suspension of Lifeimi Mafi. Then the announcement of a Munster pack kicking off another Heineken Cup campaign without the experienced presence of Horan, Flannery, Hayes, O Connell, Quinlan and Wallace in the starting eight for one reason or another.
From the moment Tony McGahan announced his team selection on Friday afternoon Munster set out their stall. This game was going to be played at a cracking pace and Munster would not be found wanting. That was the principle reason for the omission of Alan Quinlan. The surprise was that it was McGahan’s men who set the rules of engagement when seeking width from their very first taste of possession deep in their own twenty two. They continued in that vein for the rest of the half.
Kicking away possession became a last resort as Munster feared the twin threat of the Exiles’ lineout and the attacking prowess of the speedsters in their back three. The problem was that in attempting to keep ball in hand Munster still lacked a killer finishing touch despite the fact that they manufactured a number of decent line breaks. On the evidence of the RDS, what McGahan would give for a Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney or Brian O’Driscoll for a few weeks?
The difficulty lay with the fact that after 25 minutes, Munster’s principal go-to man, Keith Earls, was out on his feet with the incredible pace of the game – no real surprise given that he has had no game time since last May. With his very first touch of the ball he reminded all just what Munster have been missing with a sublime step and break. He looked shattered on his departure and one fears that he may have aggravated his existing ankle problem.
His midfield partner Sam Tuitupou also had an industrious game, tarnished somewhat by a yellow card which could yet attract the attention of the citing commissioner. With Toulon looming, Munster just cannot afford to lose any more midfield backs.
It was a captivating contest from start to finish, but Munster will rue the fact that they made London Irish look better than they are by terrible inefficiency at the lineout and poor discipline at the breakdown. Worried by the twin threat of Bob Casey and Nick Kennedy, Munster looked to the tail of the lineout but couldn’t execute due to over throws and mistimed lifts. Paul O’Connell can’t come back soon enough.
In the opening weeks of the season we waited to see the impact of the new law interpretation and here we saw signs that Munster were coming to terms with the possibilities it offers. They were thwarted however by a poor error count and an extremely aggressive four-up defence by London Irish which forced the Munster attack down too many blind alleys.
Yet there was much in this performance to admire. Only Munster could shrug off the effects of gifting the opposition the softest of tries 28 seconds after the restart and actually get stronger to such an extent that they enjoyed over 65% possession in the second half. It was unfortunate that new boy Johne Murphy was the one to present the flying Topsy Ojo with the run in from a loose pass as otherwise the former Leicester Tiger had a cracking match. He is worth persevering with.
Gradually the makeup of this Munster team is changing but the underlining values remain the same. Ten minutes into that second half, despite the 20-6 score line, the Englishman sitting next to me in the stand made the comment "they are never beaten, are they?" While the possession and territory stakes improved immeasurably, the recent failing of converting pressure into points remains the major issue.
Defensively Munster were magnificent especially when Tuitupou was in the bin and Niall Ronan was prostrate after another massive hit. With just 13 standing they still held their line. With Ronan forced off, David Wallace emerged from the bench to make such a footballing impact that Conor Counihan might have a look at him for next season. He will surely start next week against Toulon. Ronan O’Gara too was immense and despite being clearly targeted by the dynamic Seilala Mapusua, stood up to be counted on all fronts.
Driven by a huge appetite in defence, London Irish engineered turnovers and some crucial penalties at a time when Munster were forced to chase the game. One successful long-range effort from Delon Armitage in the last quarter signalled the end but crucially London Irish lost their concentration. Suddenly celebration turned into contemplation when O’Gara finally unlocked the door for Tuitupou to grasp the all important bonus point at the death. Just how vital will that prove next January?
Meanwhile, Leinster put a miserable September firmly behind them with a highly-impressive dispatching of the French championship’s current pace-setters Racing Metro 92. A return of five tries will surely help to silence those ready to consign new coach Joe Schmidt to the scrap heap after only a handful of games. His pedigree is as an attack coach and nobody could question that aspect of Leinster’s performance on Saturday.
Of even greater significance however was the display of the Leinster pack with their scrum, and Mike Ross in particular, taking on the French at source and dominating in an area that has become a speciality for Racing.
In addition Leinster’s back row of Sean O’Brien, Shane Jennings and captain for the day Jamie Heaslip completely swamped their rivals. Once Leinster are offered a platform from which to play, anything is possible.
The only blemish for Schmidt was the loss of O’Driscoll to yet another hamstring injury. The midfield causalities are growing at an alarming rate.
For Munster, next Saturday’s clash with Toulon has already become a must-win while Leinster face yet another exciting chapter as the first Irish rugby side to sample the brand new Wembley stadium where they meet Saracens.
If they can adapt to their surroundings with the same aplomb as they displayed in their debut at the new Aviva, they will assume pole position in an incredibly difficult pool.
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