Learning from French lessons
This year the reverse has happened with French domination of the Six Nations championship, coupled with a carrot of a Parisian Heineken Cup final, the basis for a remarkable turnaround in the fortunes of club rugby in the country.
Those racing to predict the demise of the Irish challenge for Heineken Cup honours would do well to pause and remember that 12 months ago no French side made it to the semis amid claims they were losing interest in the tournament. Nothing could be further from the truth. The other significant factor is the luck of the draw. A home semi-final given that it can now be played in your home city (or close by in the case of Biarritz on Sunday) is a huge advantage.
When Munster won away semi-finals against Toulouse in 2000 and Castres in 2002 they were played in neutral French venues in Bordeaux and Beziers. Even the narrow one-point semi-final defeat to Stade Francais in 2001, when that legitimate John O’Neill try was disallowed, was played in Lille.
Both Toulouse and Biarritz enjoyed the benefit of fanatical home support over the weekend and that helped to drive their respective teams forward at crucial times in the two contests.
While Leinster can take some solace from the fact that Toulouse are a class act, Munster will be aware that while Biarritz deserved victory on the day, they are no world beaters. In fact their backline, without the silken skills of the injured Damien Traille, was the most vulnerable I have seen at this stage of the competition. Their back three were tailor-made to be ripped apart by the accurate punting of Ronan O’Gara, especially in the second half when Munster had the advantage of the wind, but it never materialised simply because the visitors had precious little possession.
Despite a very promising opening 40 minutes, Munster lost their way after the break. They had no ball, no territory and consequently no points. Amazingly, for a second Heineken Cup semi-final in a row, Munster failed to register a point in the second half.
Leinster can console themselves with the fact that they carried the fight to a quality Toulouse outfit right to the death and displayed great character in scoring an excellent try by Jamie Heaslip after conceding a brace of tries within a five-minute spell in the second half. As with Munster, injuries took their toll, especially in the back row, when they were forced to play out the last quarter with a makeshift trio of Nathan Hines, definitely more at home in the second row, a hobbling Heaslip and Stephen Keogh who was forced to deputise at open side after Shane Jennings was forced off.
Munster’s disappointment will stem from the fact that their defeat can be traced to a complete malfunction of their set piece. The lineout is an area that Munster have prided themselves on over the years and has been one of the most consistent parts of their game. On Sunday, Imanol Harinordoquy took it apart.
Their scrum was also dismantled despite a very promising start. That was very disappointing given how well they performed in that area against an equally-strong Northampton eight. So much of scrummaging is psychological and it is amazing how French opposition go for the jugular at the slightest hint of vulnerability.
Ospreys coach Sean Holley claimed last week that the Biarritz pack were not as fit as they should be. However how often does it happen that after driving the opposition back in a scrum the front five are energised to such a degree that they are inspired to hit the next ruck with even greater venom. The reverse happens to the eight in retreat.
For some time I have highlighted the fact that given the demands placed on so many of the Munster pack at provincial, national and Lions level it is inevitable that they will struggle to play at the maximum level in every game. The strength in depth was also compromised by injuries to Donnacha Ryan, Denis Leamy and Paul O’Connell while the return of Wian du Preez to the Cheetahs reduced the bench options further.
Many are referring to the age profile of the Munster eight but it is the miles on the clock that is the concern. John Hayes, David Wallace and Alan Quinlan have given so much for so long it is quite extraordinary that they are still in a position to compete. Quinlan especially had a fine game on Sunday. Hayes is being encouraged by the national management to hang in until the World Cup but that looks a step too far at this stage. He has been such an inspirational cog in the Munster machine for so long that I would hate to see his reputation tarnished.
Declan Kidney needs to look carefully at his selection policy for the trip to New Zealand and Australia and leave players like Hayes, O’Connell, Wallace and Brian O’Driscoll at home to recover from the vagaries of a long and punishing season especially after their Lions exploits last summer.
In the build up to this game I was convinced that Munster had a superior force behind the scrum and even after witnessing what transpired I am even more satisfied that this was the case. Even without Howlett and Dowling, Munster showed that they had the capacity to score from deep as evidenced in the build up to the Keith Earls try. Donncha O’Callaghan did brilliantly to make the line break as did Jerry Flannery when O’Gara was unfortunate not to score.
Off very limited opportunity Jean de Villiers looked menacing but was granted far too few openings. The collective effect of the injuries seemed to play on the Munster mindset and it was interesting to read the comments of the outstanding Dimitri Yachvili when he said that his team dominated Munster both mentally and physically.
Mental vulnerability is not an area that Munster normally trade in but can be traced to the loss of so many key individuals, especially O’Connell. It is also true to say that Earls was less than 100% recovered from injury and that meant he was constantly switching with Lifeimi Mafi in defence in an effort to camouflage his groin strain.
With de Villiers leaving at the end of the month Munster will have to recruit wisely but the options will be limited because of the proximity of the World Cup. The likelihood is that several high-quality players will come to the market post 2011 meaning that any signings over the next few months may only be of a short term nature.
That said the process of rebuilding up front must be measured and considered. The last thing Munster need is the prospect of too many proven stalwarts vanishing into the sunset at the same time.
