Duncan Casey: Munster made to suffer pain of unworkable competition

There was plenty of fight and spirit right up to the final whistle but Munster will be bitterly disappointed they didn’t give themselves a chance to run their opponents closer.

UNWORKABLE: It’s crazy to have knockout games of European Cup rugby scheduled in consecutive weeks. It’s not fair on the players, it’s not fair on the fans and it does the tournament a major injustice. Pic:©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

It was always going to be a tall order for Munster to go to the well in France two weekends on the trot and deliver a performance in Bordeaux that matched the heroics in La Rochelle. Rather than being rewarded for beating the 2022 and 2023 champions in their own backyard, Munster were punished with another flight to France with one week’s notice for their supporters to assemble and travel again.

As is widely accepted at this point, it’s crazy to have knockout games of European Cup rugby scheduled in consecutive weeks. It’s not fair on the players, it’s not fair on the fans and it does the tournament a major injustice. It’s just one of many issues apparent with the current format. Ultimately, the competition is unworkable with the current block of eight games.