More than one way to skin a Castres

SO WHITHER Munster? In terms of winning the Heineken Cup, the situation appears rather grim. It’s a bit like the old one about the optimist and the pessimist.

The pessimist says to the optimist, “I’m telling you, it can’t get any worse,” to which the optimist replies, “Don’t be silly, of course it can.”

“Castres completely outplayed us,” wail the half-emptys.

“Ah, but we were rusty after the autumn internationals and still got a bonus point,” comes the optimistic reply.

“The backrow and Donncha O’Callaghan were anonymous.”

“Yes, but Castres could only score one try and Donncha helped rob eight line-outs.”

“OK, but what about Paul Volley?” ask the half-emptys. “That’s twice now he’s got to O’Gara and both times Munster have lost.”

“That fellah? Don’t worry, he’ll get his comeuppance in Thomond Park, it won’t happen a third time.”

So far, blow-for-blow, evenly exchanged.

Suddenly, the emptys land a haymaker.

“We have no penetration in the three-quarters and Cullen has yet to produce. There is no way we will ever win the trophy with these backs.”

A silence descends. The blow has landed cleanly and the half-fulls are tottering. The final bell rings, and the judges award a points victory to the half-emptys.

As ever down south, defeat comes with an inordinate amount of navel-gazing and doom-mongering.

The consensus is that Munster can turn over Castres in Thomond tomorrow, possibly even garner a bonus point, but in the long-term do not have the creative spark necessary to win Europe’s premier club competition. That spark did once exist. One thinks back to May 6, 2000 and a sweltering day in Bordeaux.

It is the 61st minute of a pulsating semi-final with Toulouse and the French favourites are leading 18-17. From a lineout in their own half, Munster take it up through Mullins, Holland and Foley before the ball is switched to Horgan who links again with a supercharged Mullins.

The centre gets it away to full-back Crotty, who finds O’Gara, and the out-half is over under the posts for one of the greatest tries ever scored in the competition.

It seems so long ago now, for, it is an irrefutable fact that the flame of Munster invention has gradually waned over the past five seasons.

As time passes, it gets harder and harder for this Munster squad to win the trophy. Cash increasingly holds the key to European domination, cash the Irish provinces do not have access to.

While Europe’s big guns recruit some of the biggest names in world rugby on massive salaries, Munster have relied on largely the same names for five seasons, as evidenced by the fact that 13 of the current Munster squad were involved in the Twickenham final in 2000.

Of the starting 15 last Friday, five are into their 30s and none under 25, with Mossie Lawler coming closest.

The Wasps defeat last Spring was a crushing blow (the latest in a long line), and there are only so many times the likes of John Hayes and Anthony Foley can go back to the well.

So, with an ageing team on its last hurrah and a ‘toothless’ backline, is this Munster side’s oft-quoted ‘quest for the Holy Grail’ doomed?

Well, it is indeed a gloomy scenario but, as a paid-up member of the glass half-full fraternity, this column cannot yet resign itself to that depressing conclusion.

GRANTED, Munster do not have the backs to match the likes of Leinster, Leicester, Wasps or Toulouse, but they still possess a pack that is the match of any out there and an out-half who is peerless when it comes to controlling a match and keeping that pack going forward.

Delve into the archives one more time and you will find the 2002 quarter-final victory over Stade Francais in Paris. It was the day Paul O’Connell came of age, the day dogged defence nullified the threat of the French backs and the day when, at the opportune moment, Munster unleashed a training ground move which saw winger Anthony Horgan slice through Stade for the game’s decisive score.

Secure the set-pieces, play the corners, make your tackles, kick your penalties and, when the moment presents itself, hit them out wide. That should be the template for the remainder of this defining season.

Abandon unrealistic notions of Harlem Globetrotter back play - this is not Bordeaux 2000 - pragmatism is now the only way forward.

It can still happen for this team. After all, there’s more than one way to skin a Castres.