Resilient Chiefs are capable of derailing Munster's Euro train
The omens for a first Heineken Champions Cup win on the road for Munster this season took a turn for the better when, against the odds, Chris Farrell was named to start in midfield when the team was announced last Thursday.
Whatever boost the Gloucester squad received with confirmation chief playmaker Danny Cipriani would start ahead of schedule after his recent chest injury was more than reciprocated within the Munster group with Farrell’s miraculous availability.
By the end of proceedings at Kingsholm on Friday night, there was no question which returning international had made the bigger impact.
Cipriani is a bit of a cause celebre in some quarters in England who constantly bemoan the fact Eddie Jones excludes him from the England set-up. Having watched him up close once again on Friday, I appreciate fully where Jones is coming from.
Put simply, Cipriani goes missing. Great when things are going well, invisible when the pressure comes on. As a front five forward working hard at the coal face, who would I prefer directing operations from No10, Cipriani or Owen Farrell? Cipriani or Joey Carbery? Do I really need to answer that?
As far back as 2006, Ronan O’Gara had cause to question the quality of the English Premiership in advance of that season’s Heineken Cup. Those comments were used against him by sections of the English media in advance of Munster’s trip to Welford Road. Munster beat Leicester Tigers that day with O’Gara delivering the clutch moment when converting a penalty from the halfway line in the 80th minute to win the game.
English club rugby, with the notable exception of Saracens and to a lesser degree Exeter Chiefs, has been stagnating ever since. l have been a regular visitor to
Premiership grounds all over England on European commentary duty over the years and, more often than not, have left distinctly underwhelmed.
Last year I watched Leinster beat reigning champions Exeter at Sandy Park and Munster defeat Leicester back in Welford Road. To date this season, Munster have drawn with Exeter on their home patch with Leinster
accounting for Bath at the Recreation Ground.
I often come away with the same question in my mind. How many of their players would I select on the Irish province playing against them? In truth, not many. On Friday night, Munster rocked up at Kingsholm and despite the return to arms of Cipriani, flying winger Ollie Thorley, and second row Ed Slater, there was an air of inevitably about the outcome, even from the Gloucester faithfuls queueing three hours before kick off to secure their regular standing slot in the famous Shed.
Five tries and 41 points later the Munster players walked to the Shed to acknowledge their traveling support while their Gloucester counterparts waited sheepishly to reciprocate the gesture to their own fans. Once again, post-match, I conducted a mental check on a combined selection.
The only Gloucester players that were even up for debate were two back rowers in Franco Mostert and Ben
Morgan. Mostert might come into the equation in his favored second row slot but would I swap him or Morgan for Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander? Not a chance.
Right now, with less than three weeks to go to the Six Nations opener against England, England’s clubs will have a big influence on Irish rugby ambitions. Next weekend, Gallagher Premiership sides Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers, and Wasps will dictate if and where Munster, Ulster, and Leinster will be playing Champions Cup quarter finals in April.
Leinster, short so many front line stars, made a serious statement against Toulouse and are odds on to host a quarter-final in Dublin.
Wasps are bottom of the pool and with Robbie Henshaw, Dan Leavy, and Rob Kearney all expected back for that encounter, Leinster will be chasing a five-point return.
The manner with which their back-up talent step up to the plate when called upon to do so is inspirational.
Last weekend’s captain Rhys Ruddock is a typical case in point. When all their back row resources are available, Ruddock is often the one to miss out on a starting slot. Yet against Toulouse, he was a colossus. His carrying, tackling, and lineout work were of such a high quality that the absence of Sean O’Brien and Dan Leavy was barely noticed against top-quality opposition. That’s a true sign of a champion squad.
Meanwhile, the worrying rib injury that forced Munster captain Peter O’Mahony to give way early in the second half last Friday is a worry not only for Johann van Graan but also Joe Schmidt.
That said, Tadhg Beirne’s shift to the back row, with Billy Holland contributing handsomely from the second row when O’Mahony was forced off, could well be repeated from the outset on Saturday if O’Mahony is ruled out.
If that proves to be the case, Schmidt will also track Byrne’s contribution from the back row with interest.
In contrast to Gloucester, Exeter will hardly be as accommodating, even in Thomond Park. I was impressed by the clinical manner with which they dismantled Castres last Sunday, registering a four-try bonus point, something Munster failed to do in Limerick against the French side, as early as the 44th minute.
That winning bonus point for Exeter was huge as it means that, despite the varying permutations on offer next Saturday, should the Chiefs win and both sides end up level on 17 or 18 points in the pool, Exeter will advance by virtue of the better head to head. Munster’s task is far more straightforward. Win and a record 18th quarter-final is guaranteed while they will need Montpellier to beat Edinburgh to have any chance of hosting that clash.
The Chiefs are a pretty resilient bunch and despite failing to win any of their opening three pool games, never gave up the fight. As a result if they get the desired outcome on Saturday, they will become the first club to make the quarter-finals in those circumstances.
The return of British and Irish Lion Jack Nowell at full-back made a big difference to their attacking prowess and they will prove a handful next weekend. This Munster side continues to make steady progress and a 5.30pm kick-off in Thomond Park means the place will be buzzing.
Of more importance, Munster’s most balanced midfield combination of Farrell and Rory Scannell has another chance to play together. Scannell rarely gets the credit he deserves and will benefit even more with greater familiarity of playing outside Carbery and inside Farrell.
Up north, there’s huge credit due to the work Dan McFarland is doing with Ulster. As some of their Guinness PRO14 results have shown this season, he has nothing like the squad depth available to him that Leinster and Munster enjoy but, when near full strength, they are proving a handful too deal with. Their win over Racing 92 on Saturday was really hard fought and Ulster stayed the course for the full 80 minutes, something they have struggled to do in the recent past, to fashion a great result.
They now need to back that up in Welford Road on Saturday, which they are more than capable of doing. The reward is likely to be a quarter-final on the road but given that they haven’t made the knockout phase since 2014, that would be a great achievement.
After their last season, I’m sure they would grab that with both hands right now.
