Big questions demand big answers
Munster have always skirted a fine line between harbouring a fear of being annihilated and being vulnerable unless they are 100% tuned into the demands of what is required to get over the line. If you were a visitor to Thomond Park trying to decipher the most recent back-to-back performances, where would you begin to rationalise the disparity in the displays against Toulouse and Glasgow Warriors?
In an interview with Rob Penney prior to that Toulouse quarter-final, the coach questioned Munster’s belief going into last season’s semi-final against Clermont Auvergne.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight Penney revealed: “Against Clermont I don’t think the lads really believed. They went in there thinking this is the best side in Europe.”
Conor Murray also said as much during the week: “I don’t know if we thought we could win that game going into it and, looking back, we had a lot of clear-cut opportunities where we could have scored tries and we lost by six points. Obviously, we could have won it and now we’re another year down the track and there’s a better sense of confidence within the squad that we actually can go down and do a job there.”
Universally written off, this group of Munster players have an unique opportunity of forging an identity of their own in what is potentially the province’s last Heineken Cup outing.
For the last three seasons this squad have lived in the shadow of past glories but a win tomorrow would cement their place in the storied history of the province. They need to buy into that possibility as a collective.
Last season they let that opportunity slip by paying too much respect to Clermont in the opening quarter and were almost blown away as a result. They can’t afford to repeat that mistake.
Outstanding Toulon back rower Juan Martin Fernandez-Lobbe reflected during the week on his first encounter against Munster in Limerick for Sale back in 2009, observing “you could just feel Munster all over you”.
Munster regularly achieve that at Thomond Park — just ask the Toulouse players who experienced the same haunting feeling in the quarter-final. For Munster to have any chance of winning tomorrow they must replicate that intensity and belief on the road. That has to be their starting point.
Many teams looking at the strength of the Toulon pack make the mistake of not putting them under sufficient pressure by taking them on at the set piece.
A physically imposing and experienced unit they may be but there are chinks in their armour. As a result Munster must take the fight to the Toulon front five. There is vulnerability there.
In the absence of Bakkies Botha and Ali Williams, Toulon are suspect out of touch. Danie Roussow was outstanding against Leinster but that was primarily as a ball carrier. Alongside him Jocelino Suta is more at home in the back row. That is why Munster must attack the Toulon throw in the air and upset one of their primary sources of possession. A fit Peter O’Mahony or Donnacha Ryan would have aided the cause hugely here.
Without their first choice second rows, Toulon are also slow in getting into position to defend the lineout maul and this offers Munster the chance to take up where they left off against Toulouse.
We know that Wayne Barnes will blow for technical infringements and Munster have the ability to manufacture penalties from their maul.
Toulon hooker Craig Burden has an ongoing problem with his elbow which periodically impacts on his throwing. Therefore Munster need to put him under pressure by attacking his every delivery. Toulon are not used to being challenged and Leinster’s lineout failed miserably on that front in the quarter-final.
With James Cronin back on the bench and John Ryan improving with every outing, Munster can also afford to challenge them at scrum time. Dave Kilcoyne will have his hands full dealing with former All Black Carl Hayman but BJ Botha is capable of asking serious questions of Xavier Choicci as long as he stays on the right side of Barnes.
Toulon are used to bullying teams on their patch and succeeded on the front when Munster were beaten at the Stade Felix Mayol in 2011. That is why Munster must hunt them at every opportunity, treating every set piece as a chance to make a statement. Toulouse were every bit as physically imposing in the quarter-final but Munster handled them with ease. Admittedly, the Toulon scrum is a more compact unit and has more options on the bench but respect and reputations must go out the window tomorrow. If Munster can impose themselves in the early set pieces, confidence levels will soar throughout the side. That is something they must target.
Toulon beat Leinster even more convincingly than the scoreline suggested due primarily to an unexpected superiority in the back row and in midfield. They carry an even more pronounced advantage in those key sectors tomorrow given the absence of Munster’s best poacher, O’Mahony, and the injury that has denied Casey Laulala any game time since the win over Toulouse.
That was a very un-Leinster like performance, but, on closer examination, they were architects of their own downfall on many fronts. For starters, Leinster were guilty of missing 27 tackles.
Surrender the gain line to Toulon and you are in trouble immediately and that is exactly what Leinster did.
Munster must learn from Leinster’s shortcomings if they are to have any chance of advancing to a fifth Heineken Cup final and that starts in defence. They must gamble on blitzing from the outside in, limiting the space available to Mathieu Bastareaud and Matt Giteau in midfield. The risk here is that leaves space available on the outside channels and with a back three of Drew Mitchell, Delon Armitage and the returning Bryan Habana that could be fatal.
Munster must also have a clear strategy for dealing with the threat posed by Bastareaud. Even the most experienced of defenders in Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll found him too hot to handle and were exposed on a few occasions when shooting out of the line. James Downey and Laulala, working in tandem with Ian Keatley and surprise choice Sean Dougall must work as a unit in this respect.
To aid that process Munster have to slow down the Toulon recycle at the breakdown. Leinster failed miserably on that front and D’Arcy and O’Driscoll were left dealing with the consequences. Toulon’s back row of Lobbe, Juan Smith and the impressive Steffon Armitage are an outstanding combination.
In the absence of O’Mahony, CJ Stander and Dougall will need to produce the performances of their fledgling Munster careers. Dougall has been selected specifically to deal with the Armitage threat but will need support from all around him. Stander was superb off the bench against Toulouse but starting tomorrow imposes an entirely different challenge. It would help the cause if he could offload a bit more rather than going to ground.
The problem with that is the second he hits the deck Armitage will be all over him looking for the poach. Munster need to keep the ball off the floor and suck Armitage into making tackles rather than arriving as the second man in. Munster’s best performances under Rob Penney have come when they are fully committed to cleaning out all before them at the breakdown and in the tackle. Every Munster player, regardless of position, needs to commit fully to achieving that tomorrow.
