There’s more in Munster than we are seeing on game day

CJ Stander takes stock following Munster’s Heineken Champions Cup semi-final loss to Saracens last Saturday at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The Munster players have, unlike Leinster, yet to get through a tight battle, says Ronan O’Gara: ‘They are crippled with doubt. I know what it’s like, I was the same from 2000 to 2006.’ Picture: David Fitzgerald

If you are a Munster rugby supporter looking for upsides from the Heineken Cup semi-final loss to Saracens, you’ll be searching for a bit. Here’s a morsel: In terms of their PRO14 chances, the players would have been able to put last Saturday in Coventry to bed pretty rapidly on Monday morning and move on.

Regret is one thing. Reality is a more positive takeaway. In terms of the bigger picture and 2020, Munster has an elephant-in-the-room issue but the chastening loss to Saracens will not impinge on the remainder of this season’s domestic campaign. At least it shouldn’t.