Why Munster need sprinkle of stardust
When Paul O’Connell conceded a needless penalty for diving into a ruck from the side as he did early in the second-half, you just sensed his frustration. It was a feeling shared by the vast majority in the crowd. Munster were clearly the stronger force but made life difficult for themselves making that superiority count.
Once the two teams were announced for this must-win contest from a Munster perspective, you felt there would only be one winner. The changes that Rob Penney made up front not only added steel, ball-winning and ball-carrying ability, but also a greater understanding of how to smother any semblance of quick ball at the breakdown.
If I was a Gloucester supporter however, I would be demanding a steward’s enquiry into the selection process adopted by Nigel Davies. No Jimmy Cowen, no Billy Twelvetrees, no James Simpson-Daniel, no Freddie Burns or the new heir apparent to the England No 7 jersey, the highly rated Matt Kvesic. With that combination absent against a Munster side whose pride and commitment were being called into question, you could only see one winner.
Trouble is, that is exactly what was expected the previous week in Murrayfield, and we all know what happened there. Munster are struggling to perform under the weight of expectation at the moment and are doing little to relieve the pressure on themselves.
The number of phases they are going through, recycling laterally without any forward momentum, not only facilitated the drift defence utilised by Gloucester, it also sapped the energy from Munster’s ever-willing and committed charges.
Yet Munster started so brightly with Martyn Thomas being subjected to the same aerial bombardment that wrecked the head of another Gloucester full-back, rugby league convert Henry Paul, in that famous game of a decade ago. At least Paul lasted longer than Thomas, who was forced off after only seven minutes after taking a ferocious hit from Casey Laulala.
That was typical of the energy the New Zealander brought into this game. If the rest of us are feeling frustrated, he must be apoplectic. Eighteen months into his time in the red jersey and players still haven’t worked out how to play off him. He, along with Keith Earls, carried the main cutting edge for Munster behind the scrum, yet time after time, despite getting his hands in behind the opposition defensive line, there was nobody on his shoulder to avail of the offload.
If he was playing for the All Blacks, we would marvel at the opportunities he creates for those around him. Unfortunately, Munster’s support runners are failing to capitalise on his creativity. At times his attempted off-loads lead to turnovers as the defender attacks the ball but he remains positive and undaunted in contact. His efforts deserve greater reward.
It was difficult to avoid the feeling the magic of days such as these has been diluted somewhat. A sparsely populated north terrace and a scattering of empty seats is not something we are accustomed to on big nights in this great tournament. The 6pm slot on a Saturday was always the one that sparked an electricity from the stands that powered some famous victories over the best Europe has to offer. Yet try as all parties did, on and off the field, the spark just seems to have gone out a little.
Like it or not, this was far closer to a Gloucester second string than we care to admit. For proof of that just keep an eye on the side Nigel Davies has kept in reserve for their West Country derby against Bath next Friday. When Davies was coach of the Scarlets, I always got the impression he was beaten before he ever arrived in Thomond Park. His selection for this game did nothing to persuade me otherwise.
The irony is, had he started with the side that accounted for Perpignan in round one, Gloucester could have made life even more difficult for Rob Penney’s men. While Munster’s line-out was much improved from last week, the surprise was that the scrum failed to exert any level of sustained pressure on the comparatively inexperienced Gloucester front row unit.
Too many penalties were conceded in this area and with Perpignan looming in back-to-back games in December, that will have to be addressed, given their impressive bonus point win over Edinburgh yesterday.
There are also game management issues to be examined. Munster had a strong wind in their favour in the second-half but played far too much rugby in the middle third of the field. When they did manage to get a foothold in the Gloucester twenty-two, time and again their efforts to register points were frustrated by poor execution, or the concession of silly penalties.
At least the fight has been extended into December for at one stage in that second-half, the possibility of another smash and grab on the scale of the previous week’s defeat by Edinburgh, remained a possibility. That was eradicated with a 10 point burst over an inspired three minute spell in the final quarter. More of that would do nicely.
If Ulster’s stunning 25-8 victory over Montpellier at the Stade Yves du Manoir delivering the biggest statement of intent of the opening two rounds, when it comes to absorbing pressure and playing off the back foot, no side in Europe has the self belief and staying power of Leinster. After dominating the opening half of their contest against Castres, a two point lead seemed a poor return for their efforts.
It also convinced the French champions they had the firepower to ask serious questions of Leinster who were on the rack for long periods. The thing Leinster have in spades, however, is the belief and confidence to strike from deep. Trusting their defence to contain the constant barrage of attack unleashed by Castres in that second half period, one turnover secured by the irrepressible Sean O’Brien deep in their own 22 spelled opportunity.
Where other sides would kick to relieve the pressure, Leinster ran, resulting in a length of the field score, finished off by reserve loose head prop Jack McGrath. The proved a hammer blow to the French. It also helped that Castres introduced a scrum half off the bench in Julien Tomas, who was incapable of putting the ball in straight to the scrum. His persistent offence’s graduated from free kicks to penalties before culminating in a yellow card.
How his monstrous front row, who at that stage were beginning to steamroll Leinster, didn’t strangle him remains a mystery. In the end Leinster did the strangling.
Donncha O’Callaghan hopes Paul O’Connell, pictured, will see out his rugby career with Munster. In a newspaper interview, O’Connell revealed he wasn’t sure where his future lay when his current national contract ends in June next year.
He said: “I’m not sure, if I had to consider my options somewhere else I certainly would. It’s a big regret not having played abroad. I’ve lived in Limerick all my life and, while I love it here, I would like to experience life abroad. I haven’t started discussing my contract yet, so we’ll see what happens.”
O’Callaghan, however, would be one of those trying to persuade O’Connell to stay at home: “I wouldn’t really have any comment on it (speculation) as such but Paulie is all red, you know what I mean? I just don’t see him anywhere else.”
