Donal Lenihan: Destination Durban as frustrated Munster head south to face Sharks
BRACED FOR IMPACT: Ben Healy of Munster in action against David Ainu'u, left, and Pierre-Louis Barassi of Toulouse during the Heineken Champions Cup Pool B Round 4 match between Toulouse and Munster at Stade Ernest Wallon in Toulouse, France. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
With all three Irish participants in this season's Heineken Champions Cup through to the knockout phase and Connacht, despite a disappointing defeat in Newcastle, also advancing in the Challenge Cup, it proved a decent weekend all round for the Irish in Europe.
Any pre-match nerves or anxiety the Munster party may have been feeling in advance of departure from Shannon airport on Saturday were all but eased by the time they arrived at their hotel base in Toulouse. By then, results elsewhere decreed that their advancement to the Round of 16 was already guaranteed, removing the element of jeopardy associated with an always-challenging trip to the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Having endured three successive defeats on home soil to Toulouse, twice in fortress Thomond Park and in the epic quarter final that was eventually decided by a penalty shootout in the Aviva Stadium over the last two years, Munster knew the odds were stacked against them in the Pink City yesterday where Toulouse have been playing some scintillating rugby in front of their adoring home fans.
With a free shot and an outside chance of a home draw in the next round still a mathematical possibility, Munster were presented with the ideal opportunity to add a further layer to the attacking template that has been serving them well of late.
Only problem with that, and in contrast to last years Covid-ravaged pool stage that saw cancelled games plummet Toulouse down the rankings, Ugo Mola’s men viewed this outing as the perfect opportunity to top Pool B and with it, the chance to remain in France until the final itself in Dublin.
To secure top spot ahead of the reigning champions and Pool B rivals La Rochelle, Toulouse needed a bonus point win by a margin in excess of 10 points, something the hosts were confident was within their compass if they could establish a decent platform up front.
With Toulouse, you tend to find out early where their heads are. Given the power, physicality and defensive grit they brought to the opening quarter when sprinting into a commanding eleven-point lead, you feared for Munster, especially with so many dominant Toulouse tackles propelling the visitors back in contact at the rate of knots.
For Munster to survive and stay in the fight, it was imperative they found a way back into the contest prior to the break. Looking for something positive to cling to, an inspirational 10-minute shift prior to half-time proved transformational.
A well-worked tap-and-go try off a close-in penalty by the excellent John Hodnett, an inspirational scrum penalty courtesy of John Ryan mincing teak tough French loose head prop Cyril Baille to relieve the pressure, and a Herculean goal line defensive stand bang on half time provided the lift Munster needed to convince themselves they were capable of upsetting the odds when trailing by only three points at the break, 11-8.
Munster’s discipline in a fraught opening period when conceding only four penalties, played a major part in their efforts to stay in touch. If further inspiration was needed to convince they had the armory to beat Toulouse at their own game, it arrived nine minutes into the second half, courtesy of a Harlem Globetrotters moment that underlined Munster’s rapidly developing positivity in attack A couple of audacious offloads, delivered under massive pressure by Gavin Coombes and Craig Casey, rounded off several phases later by ever industrious Tadhg Beirne ranks as possibly the best try Munster have ever scored in Europe. Even the Toulouse players looked mesmerised with what had unfolded under their noses on their retreat behind the posts.
Even more difficult for the hosts to comprehend was the fact that they now trailed by two points. The margin should have been even greater with Joey Carbery, who had a challenging enough week already after being left out of Andy Farrell’s Six Nations squad, missing a second very kickable conversion. Sympathy was in short supply, however, with the No 10 being immediately replaced by Ben Healy after missing the additional points on offer.
While much of the focus has been concentrated on Munster’s continually evolving prowess in attack, once again, it was their defensive structure and outstanding scramble that restricted Toulouse to a single try over the course of a pulsating 80 minutes of highly-charged action.
For Munster to outscore Toulouse by two tries to one in their own back yard will add even further to the rising confidence levels and belief in the group. It was always unlikely that Munster would end up with a home draw but, on the basis of this performance, there’s no reason for them to be overly concerned about having to travel for that round of 16 tie next April. The only caveat was avoiding the long trek to Durban to play the Sharks. The outcome of the last game of pool action between Edinburgh and Saracens would dictate not only Munster’s opposition but the mood on the flight home.
Edinburgh’s dramatic win over Saracens on the back field at Murrayfield did indeed hand Munster the nightmare scenario of an additional trip to South Africa in the next round to meet the Sharks. Given they are already scheduled to travel there two weeks later for back to back URC fixtures, this is going to prove massively challenging for all concerned. Munster’s efforts throughout the campaign deserved a better outcome than this.
No such concerns for Leinster. Is it any wonder they are the envy of most European clubs. Despite having already qualified for the knockout phase ahead of their final pool outing against Racing 92 on Saturday, a crowd of 43,560 packed the Aviva Stadium to see their heroes in action. There are a number of English Premiership football sides incapable of attracting audiences of that magnitude.
Right now Leinster are box office, even if they fell short of their own high standards in this contest. They were pushed all the way in this clash until Hugo Keenan’s second try on 68 minutes delivered the bonus point try that not only secured the victory but the maximum return of all 20 match points on offer over the course of the four pool games.
As a result of their top seeding, Leinster have secured home advantage all the way through to the final itself, meaning their loyal fan base could have a path worn to Lansdowne Road by the time the final rolls around next May.
Winning a cherished fifth European star has proved elusive since they last won in Bilbao against Racing 92 back in 2018. Despite making nine changes to the side that beat Harlequins at the death at the La Defense Arena the previous week, Racing were very competitive in this encounter with their much-changed pack still carrying enough power and physicality to ask serious questions of the Leinster scrum and their maul defense off line outs.
When former Wasps and England winger Christian Wade touched down in the corner to propel the visitors into a three point lead eight minutes into the second half, remarkably, Leinster found themselves trailing in a match for the first time in the entire pool stage.
As one has come to expect from Leo Cullen’s charges, when serious questions were asked Leinster found all the answers, scoring 29 unanswered points over the remaining 32 minutes of action. The trigger for this response came courtesy of an explosive impact off the bench from Dan Sheehan, Ross Moloney and Ryan Baird up front.
Meanwhile, Ulster’s reward for finally finding a way to close out a tight contest with a highly merited first win of their European campaign over Sale Sharks on Saturday night, is a return visit to Dublin against their neighbors. If nothing else, it should lead to another bumper crowd at the Aviva should Leinster opt once again to host the game at Irish rugby headquarters.
