Donal Lenihan: Munster wounds another sign that rugby is cannibalising itself

INJURY ISSUES: Gavin Coombes and Peter O’Mahony in training. Pic Credit: Morgan Treacy, Inpho.

AT THE half way point in the pool stage of the Investec Champions Cup, EPCR need to send an email to some of the participants apologising that, despite their best efforts to avoid the knockout stage, they are still in a great position to qualify for the Round of 16 next April.

That’s the trouble with this new format. Teams can afford to send their back-up troops to difficult away assignments, return home empty-handed but still remain in contention. To date, we’ve seen a number of clubs from France, South Africa and England go down this route.

Some in the Gallagher Premiership and Top 14 have done so in the knowledge that key domestic league games were on the horizon over the festive period while, for reasons relating to a difficult travel itinerary (and with budgetary constraints preventing a sporting organisation still in administration traveling business class), the Stormers were forced to send a largely seconds squad to Welford Road against Leicester Tigers in round one.

To be fair, despite sending watered-down versions of their best teams, some of those games were still very competitive. For both of my Champions Cup commentary assignments with RTÉ when Munster entertained Bayonne and Leinster played Sale Sharks, the opposition sent vastly under strength combinations but still managed to make life difficult for their Irish opponents.

Despite the thrill of Champions Cup rugby for the first ever time, Bayonne travelled under strength to Limerick but left, not only with a creditable performance, but with two highly valuable match points courtesy of a deserved 17-17 draw.

Thomond Park represents one of rugby’s great European arenas. So many players have a visit on their bucket list to sample the unique atmosphere at least once in their careers. Problem is, for whatever reason, the place has become far more inviting and is nothing like as intimidating as it once was.

How many times in the past did we see visiting full back’s disintegrate before our eyes under a succession of high hanging O'Gara bombs with the crowd applying as much pressure as any chasing winger in red.

I can still see Harlequins No 15 Harvey Thornycroft disintegrate into a bumbling mess under a succession of Garryowens or his Gloucester counterpart Henry Paul, a teak tough convert from Rugby league’s great Wigan team, attempt to come to terms with his unique surroundings but fail miserably.

I couldn’t help but feel the Bayonne players stood off Munster early on in that opening clash, perhaps influenced by their surroundings, enabling Munster get into their stride and a deserved 14-3 lead in the opening quarter.

As the game progressed and with Munster failing to put their collective foot on the Bayonne throat, you could see the visitors becoming more comfortable with their surroundings as they slowly grew into the game.

The delight on their faces at the final whistle was clear for all to see. From a position where the hosts looked assured of a five point return, with two tries in that bag by the 20th minute, Munster’s campaign got off to a stuttering start.

Away to Exeter Chiefs in round two, Munster defied their growing injury list to produce some outstanding rugby over the opening 50 minutes of a great contest. With a four-try bonus point secured by that stage, a five point return on the road in Europe would have marked a significant achievement.

How Munster lost their way in the final quarter is a concern and, in the circumstances, to return home without even a losing bonus point was careless in the extreme. If successive defeats to Leinster and Connacht has undermined belief even further, the unrelenting list of serious injuries to key players has been extraordinary with the situation in the second row now reaching crisis point.

Already this season, a quality No 8 in Gavin Coombes has had to sacrifice his natural instinct to find carrying space between the 15 metre lines for the less glamorous grunt required when confined to the trenches.

With RG Snyman already out of action until March at the earliest, the loss of Jean Kleyn, initially for the back end of the year, had already proved catastrophic. If anything, his absence has highlighted even further the unglamorous but key role he played in last season’s URC success.

The shock confirmation the South African World Cup winner has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season could not be worse timed. Fineen Wycherly did his bit to cover the deficit until injury intervened while the loss of impressive 21-year-old Edwin Edogbo to a second serious Achilles injury at a time when was beginning to deliver some highly influential performances was another serious blow.

The focus will now centre on getting Snyman back into competitive action as soon as possible but the fear is it will be too late for that to impact on Munster’s continued participation in Europe. In the circumstances, the return of former captain Peter O'Mahony and a rested Tadhg Beirne is badly needed for Munster to turn a corner.

Given the perilous state of their Champions Cup campaign, with just three match points to date, this weekend's trip to former triple European champions Toulon could not be worse-timed. Munster need to take home a losing bonus point at the very least in order to have something to fight for when Northampton Saints, who may well be qualified by that stage, arrive in Limerick the following week.

Despite their injury woes, Munster remained in the fight in all of their last four contests before folding in the final ten minutes. With their squad down to the bare bones to begin with, a lack of serious firepower off the bench to match the impact of their opponents has been the big issue.

While Munster’s attacking shape continues to create problems for all opposition, the lack of physicality up front has become a major problem. To stress opposition defences and put them on the back foot, you need to generate forward momentum by winning the collisions on the gain line and produce quick ball.

Right now Munster lack the personnel to achieve that over the course of 80 minutes. The set piece has also been compromised with the line out in particular faltering in the continuing absence of O'Mahony. Under pressure, you can always rely on him to deliver quality ball.

In the circumstances, an away date against a massively physical French Top 14 opponent in Toulon is just about the last thing Graham Rowntree needs right now. The bad news for Munster is they rested many of their frontline forwards for the trip to Montpellier last Sunday and paid the price with a 27-17 defeat to the Top 14’s basement side.

Despite losing their opening two Champions Cup games, they look primed to make a defiant stand at home to maintain their interest in this season's tournament. Former French captain and favourite to replace Antoine Dupont in the role for the Six Nations, Charles Ollivon, looks certain to be recalled up front along with other internationals including a pair of French props in Jean-Baptiste Gros and Danny Priso, Dave Ribbons and Sele Tolofua along with a key presence in Dan Bigger at out half to their starting side.

While others may have adopted a less-than-committed approach to the tournament to date, Munster will do everything within their power to cling to qualification for at least another week. Right now Rowntree’s short term goal is firmly focused on staying alive in Europe.

Outside of that he must also be racking his brain and conducting some form of review to see if there’s anything Munster are doing that might, in some way, be contributing to what amounts to an extraordinary run of injuries to key players.

Then again, the absence of Mack Hansen and Jimmy O'Brien from Ireland’s up coming Six Nations campaign, in tandem with Munster’s injury woes, just confirms the fact that rugby is continuing to cannibalise itself. Something will have to be done to stop this injury mayhem.