Heineken Cup chances look more remote than ever

IT was always unlikely that the heroics of last weekend could be repeated. And so it proved.

The Irish Heineken Cup sweep of a week ago was almost turned on its head as Ulster and Leinster failed on the road and Munster had to battle grimly to hold off the Dragons.

Consequently, Ulster and Leinster are hanging on to European qualification by their fingernails. I can’t see either making it. Even Munster, despite winning three games from four to date, can forget about winning Pool One. Failure to secure a bonus point in either of the fixtures against the Dragons will prove crucial. For the second year running, it is now almost certain that the best Munster can hope for is an away quarter-final as one of the best placed pool runners up.

For long periods on Saturday, there was the distinct possibility that Munster’s cherished unbeaten home record at Thomond Park was about to fall. After the drama of the last decade, surely this long unbeaten sequence could hardly go to the team propping up the pool.

Such was the ferocity of the Welsh challenge in the second half that not until Jerry Flannery crossed the line on the 80th minute that could Munster relax. Quite how it came to this is an exercise that will play on the minds of the Munster management throughout the Christmas break.

When the Dragons announced their side on Friday without Lions Michael Owen and Gareth Cooper along with returning Welsh international Kevin Morgan, one felt they were travelling with less confidence than hope.

Given the impact made they made when introduced early in the second half, one can only speculate what would have happened had they started the game. Once again, Munster seemed frozen in a no-man’s land, unsure of whether they wanted to play for victory or accumulate a bonus point.

On the evidence of the opening 15 minutes, Munster’s tactics looked spot on and a 10-point lead looked sure to lay the foundations for a comfortable victory.

David Wallace started where he left off in Newport last weekend. Playing as an auxiliary midfield attacker, he created havoc for the Dragons defence. He also showed tremendous awareness in playing the ball out of the tackle for Mick O’Driscoll’s opening try.

With Marcus Horan rampaging in the loose, there was further evidence that John Hayes has upped his work rate significantly over the past few weeks. He finally seemed to have shaken off the after-effects of the Lions tour.

Yet from a position of strength, Munster lost concentration and the looseness of their play invited the Dragons back into the game. This was exemplified when Peter Stringer was forced to defend the line as a pillar on a close-in ruck. It was inevitable that the Dragons would score.

Not for the first time this season, Munster conceded far too many turnovers and were guilty of poor handling. With Wallace forced to operate closer to the breakdown, the midfield lacked creativity.

At the break Munster held a slender two-point lead compared to a 14-point advantage at the same juncture last week. In the dressing rooms under the stand, the Dragons must have been questioning what all this Thomond Park hype was about.

The introduction of the three Grand Slammers handed the impetus to the Welsh. Munster made life difficult for themselves by playing in the wrong areas of the field. When the need was greatest, the most experienced player in the history of the Heineken Cup once again came to the fore. Not for the first time in this competition, Anthony Foley’s innate football skills responded when most required.

His inspirational score helped to steady the ship at a time when Munster’s lineout came under pressure for the first time in two weeks, losing three consecutive throws. Credit the Dragons for their outstanding response with a sublime try from Morgan after an audacious pass from Owen.

With Sale now in complete command of this pool, Munster travel to Castres in early January in the knowledge that victory is imperative even to advance as one of the best second-placed sides.

The vagaries of French teams on the road were once again illustrated by the fact that Bourgoin turned a 46-point defeat against Leinster in the RDS into a two-point home victory. The fact that the winning kick was conceded in the third minute of injury time must be a source of huge disappointment to this Leinster squad.

In times past, people have been critical of Leinster’s stomach for the fight. Yet on this occasion they showed tremendous guts and character when turning a 14-point deficit at one stage in the second half into a one-point lead.

When Eric Miller was sin-binned in the opening sequence of the second half, the initiative was well and truly handed to Bourgoin.

Scoring ten points in Miller’s absence, they looked home and dry.

Leinster’s response was magnificent. In this respect it was hugely encouraging to see outstanding performances, once again, from Robert Kearney and Jamie Heaslip, playing in their first Heineken Cup game on French soil. On the most demanding stage of all, they performed.

At the other end of the scale, Felipe Comtepomi has almost single-handedly driven Leinster’s efforts throughout this campaign. In the four games to date he has scored 76 points, including four tries. In the eighth minute of injury time his massive penalty from all of 58 metres fell just short. With pool leaders Bath away still to come, Leinster’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals now look remote.

Similarly Ulster, on the back of their defeat to Saracens, now look destined to miss out on qualification once again. When Tommy Bowe was denied a try by the touchline in the closing sequence, Ulster was robbed of at least the draw that their performance deserved. In the end they didn’t even get a bonus point.

This young Ulster team is maturing by the day. Yet they have still to master the art of winning away from home in this tournament. It has cost them dearly. Despite Munster’s win, it has been a disappointing weekend in Europe.

The chances of Heineken Cup success look more remote than ever.