Munster finally take positive memories from Paris
As a club Racing 92 — so called because 92 is the number of the Hauts-de-Seine district where the club is based — will forever be linked with the sad passing of Munster head coach Anthony Foley and the impact that tragic event had on the Munster rugby community.
Ten miles across the city, situated in the 16th arrondissment, stands the Stade Jean Bouin, home of Stade Francais, where Munster’s standing in the Champions Cup took a potentially fatal blow after a demoralising 27-7 defeat this time last season.
That loss felt twice as bad at the time given that Stade played the entire second half with 14 men after their winger, Josaia Raisuqe, was sent off on the stroke of half time. The fact Munster facilitated the process by surrendering meekly in the second half made the outcome even more painful.
Ironically that damaging defeat occurred a year to the day since Saturday’s rearranged fixture in Colombes. So much has changed in that comparatively short space of time. Coming to terms with the fact Foley is no longer with us is difficult to comprehend while, on the playing front, only six of the Munster side that started against Stade Francais that day featured from the outset on Saturday.
In fact only four, Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander, Conor Murray and Rory Scannell occupied the same positions.
If this was a game the majority of the players were dreading since the devastating events of October 16th, they dealt with it magnificently. A really impressive opening quarter confirmed there was no residual impact from the pre-game pageantry and the impeccably observed minute’s applause to honour Foley.
It is a measure of the mental strength of this Munster squad that, in the two contests specifically linked to Axel’s passing — the Glasgow Warriors game the day after his funeral and Saturday’s return to the French capital — Munster out scored their opponents by 70-24, securing two try bonus points on the way to a maximum 10-point return.
That sets them up perfectly for what will undoubtedly be a challenge of far greater proportions in Glasgow next Saturday evening. This bonus point win at the Stade Yves du Manoir not only catapults them to the top of the Pool 1 table but also offers them some breathing space.
On 16 points, even if they return from Scotstoun empty handed, a win over Racing in their final pool outing at Thomond Park should guarantee a best runners up slot and a place in the knockout stage of the Champions Cup for the first time in three years.
As pool leaders, Munster will be going all out for a home quarter-final and next weekend’s contest looks set to be a classic with Glasgow looking to put the record straight after that comprehensive 38-17 defeat to Munster back in October. They continued their current vein of good form with a bonus point 29-15 win over Cardiff Blues in the Guinness PRO12 on Saturday at Scotstoun in a perfect dress rehearsal of next weekend’s eagerly awaited clash.
Given the submissive nature of Racing’s performance on a ground where they had won 24 of their last 26 competitive games, you have to wonder what mental state they will be in when they arrive in Limerick on Saturday week.
Despite the feeble nature of the Racing challenge, nothing should take from the clinical excellence of the Munster performance. The foundation for any Champions Cup win away in France stems from the set-piece and, once again, Munster were imperious at the scrum and out of touch.
One turnover from their 12th and final line out represented the only set-piece blemish on a day when their rejuvenated scrum proved a dominant force from start to finish.
John Ryan gets better with every outing having concentrated on playing on the tight head side of the scrum since the departure of BJ Botha.
At hooker, Niall Scannell has grasped his opportunity magnificently with some outstanding performances of late while the ongoing battle for the starting berth at loose head between Dave Kilcoyne and James Cronin is bringing the best out of both.
The work-rate, indefatigable energy and technical proficiency offered by Donnacha Ryan and Billy Holland in the second row means that the Munster front five offer the perfect platform for the back-row and half-backs to thrive. The leadership, direction and maturity of that crucial middle five sector has been central to everything Munster have achieved to date this season.
Not for the first time Munster’s back row completely outplayed their opposition in all the key elements with CJ Stander bagging yet another man of the match gong. Peter O’Mahony is getting better with every outing after a year out of the game due to injury while Ireland’s unbelievable depth of quality in the back-row was highlighted once again by the excellence of Tommy O’Donnell, who failed to make any of the matchday Irish squads for the autumn series, on Saturday.
The thing that shines through like a beacon at present is the collective will and togetherness of the entire squad which contrasted greatly with the efforts of some of their Racing counterparts. Small things matter like Donnacha Ryan’s refusal to give up on a lineout that towering Racing second row Gerbrandt Grobler had initially won metres from his own line.
Ryan’s persistence in burrowing a path through the subsequent Racing maul to get his hands on the ball and hold up possession typified the hunger of the Munster forwards. From the resultant scrum possession, Racing were forced into conceding yet another penalty and Tyler Bleyendaal delivered a further three points to stretch Munster’s lead to 11.
Racing never came close to matching Munster’s intensity in the close quarter battle where they fought for every scrap of possession while the visitors’ mastery of the choke tackle frustrated and squeezed the life out of their hosts.
Sitting on zero points after four Champions Cup outings places Racing on an equal footing with Sale Sharks and Zebre in this tournament.
That is a shocking indictment of the reigning French Top 14 champions and last season’s beaten Champions Cup finalists.
Yet, despite fielding an under-strength side, they still started with 10 internationals, introduced four more off the bench with six former All Blacks featuring over the course of the 80 minutes.
That puts Munster’s performance into context.
At last, something positive for this bunch of players to take home from Paris.
