Ronan O'Gara: Punched in the nose, left sitting on our backsides
DOWN AND OUT: It's been a tough week for Ronan O'Gara and his La Rochelle talisman Gregory Alldritt - out of the Champions Cup and the French Six Nations squad. Pic: Romain Perrocheau/Getty
The things that kills you is the hope. But poor errors and attitude cripple too. This has been a grinding, one- foot-in-front-of-the-other, week. Tough to move on from the exit from the Champions Cup, but all the more brutal given the circumstances.
I’ve my hand up here too. After the Leinster game, I got the training structure wrong, on reflection. Guys were knackered, they gave a lot at the Aviva and given how well we played, how many tries we left after us and how disappointing the loss was, I tried to turn the page too soon on Leinster for for Harlequins and the Champions Cup in an attempt to put it behind us fast. Bad move. If I had my time again we would have done nothing bar a captain’s run, resting them for the week. I am gutted with myself for getting that wrong.
There were other little signs. You neither want or encourage conversations around what permutations guaranteed us a place in the knockouts, especially ones that demand only a single point at home to Harlequins, who, let’s call it, have been operating well below their levels this season. But there appeared neither recognition or awareness of that fact as we prepped a lineout 24-17 down in the final few minutes last Sunday.
Over the course of La Rochelle games at the Stormers, at Leinster or at home to Quins, there were several near-thing scenarios that could have secured us a last 16 spot, but none in our possession to the same extent as bagging a losing bonus point against Quins.
It’s important to provide context here. I fear some of our lads weren’t entirely clear of the permutations around the losing bonus point scenario. I say that because the bonus point system in the Top 14 is different to the Champions Cup. An offensive BP in France is awarded for three-tries more than the opposition in a game (five tries to two, for example), while the is to be within five points of the opposition (21-16, for example).
In Europe it’s seven points. How else can we explain away moving the ball to the middle of the field off our lineout, when all we needed was to bate the ball downfield? Instead we move the ball centrally, a breakdown miscommunication, a poach penalty and it’s farewell the Champions Cup. 27-17.
On Friday, lads were doing permutations. Nobody was too-tuned into the value of one point – why would you be at home looking to build on a really good display in Dublin? But in rugby, there’s no half-days. There are no gimmes, you roll up the sleeves every week. I am quite sanguine about most things, but this does feel like we got an almighty kick in the stomach for giving away that last penalty. We are not even in the last sixteen in Europe! Two minutes to go, and we are still in the competition. One penalty later and we are gone. And it's our doing.
Similar to La Rochelle, I thought Munster were impressive in Toulon and looked set to carry that into their tie at home to Castres. Even without their creative best, Munster have forever been a hard case to score against in Europe but Castres sat them down too often and too easily for anyone’s liking with a Munster disposition. Whereas my challenge is to get bodies, important players, back on the pitch and we can go again, Munster look quite a different proposition at the minute. I don’t think the project has a good feel to it right now.
They were scarcely recognisable from what they did seven days earlier. Jack Crowley kicked inconsistently off the tee (that equates to the same as poorly), but I was more puzzled the way he played more like a centre with carries and not with a baton to manage his team. No more than La Rochelle, not making the last 16 of the Champions Cup is a big, big blow to the Munster project.
It took us all til Thursday at least to emerge from the fog. In the interim, the Six Nations squads were announced in Paris and Dublin. After we play in Clermont this Sunday night, our internationals head off to French camp - though not as many as there ought to be.
Will Skelton is out for a month and another leader, Greg Alldritt is in need of his own pick-me-up after being left out of the French 42-man squad. He’s as low as a worm’s belly right now. I would have been with many who believe that, Antoine Dupont apart, the two mainstays of the France leadership group are Damian Penaud and Greg, so we will wait to see what’s in Galthie’s playbook in terms of leaving both out for Round 1 at home to Ireland.
Penaud is so good, and given the number of behind-the-goalline presents he gives colleagues when he could be scoring tries himself, his crazy stats are probably under-estimated. In the management debate over a) 'left out 'cos we know what he can do or' b), 'that guy is past his sell by date', one would have to assume it’s the former by the French head coach.
Greg will knuckle down because that’s what he does, but I’d say he’d prefer next week to be drinking coffee with his international team mates than being in La Rochelle and we understand that too.
Semeli Daunivucu, the centre so impressive at the Aviva, ripped the hamstring off the tendon last Wednesday, he’s gone for surgery and possibly for the season. Literally, we feel like a small infirmary. We don’t know how long Nolann Le Garrec is out for but it’s a hamstring so our guess is another three or four weeks. Some may think it’s a stretch to label him world class, but he is so quick and decisive and influential for his team-mates so his loss is huge.
But this is sport. You get hit, you go down. Do you stay down or get back up with intent? It’s a small crumb for sure, but Champions Cup elimination tidies up and provides certainty around our schedule now. The Challenge Cup will come and go, but with Europe’s first prize off the agenda, we can play out hand with our eyes wide open.
For reasons of injuries and the limited provincial structure, Ireland’s Six Nations surprises were kept to a minimum with their squad announcement. The starting team for Paris will not be very difficult to pick, and if Andy Farrell was to lose any other player from the Stade de France, it has the look of a challenging spring with an uppercut in the shape of England (away) still to come.
There seems to be a lot of pokes in the jaw going around this week.
