Stringer tries in vain to salvage hope from defeat

PETER STRINGER was close to his sniping best as he tried just about everything to salvage something from the wreckage that was Munster’s performance at Stradey Park.

He scored his side’s first try and battled gamely to the end but without significant fruit for his labours.

“We tried to move the ball, to play a bit of rugby, but crucial errors let us down,” he accepted.

“We went out with a good mind-set, looking to score tries, but instead their tries came off our mistakes.

“We realise we’re not far off playing good rugby and winning rugby but we’re obviously disappointed at conceding those kinds of tries.

“These things are happening too often and the guys are aware of that.”

In many ways, Saturday’s embarrassing scoreline could not have come at a worse time, with the national players absent from the scene for the best part of the next two months.

One has to wonder if morale can be lifted effectively in time for the Heineken Cup match against Biarritz on April 3.

“It’s going to be difficult to regroup,” said Stringer. “We’ve always had this situation, a long break and a lot of guys away from the Munster scene. It will be difficult to come back and get ready for a European quarter-final but we’re used to it.

“A lot of us will be playing at the top level and that makes it easier to come back into the set-up.

“Morale does get bruised after a beating like that but we’ve plenty to look forward to. If you dwell on this for too long, it’s only going to get you down and you’ll never get anywhere.

“There were positives from this game; there was great enthusiasm for the intensity we tried to play the game at but crucial errors let us down - dropped balls, missed tackles that let them in for tries.”

Alan Gaffney spent a little more time than usual in the dressing room in the immediate aftermath of the match and doubtless there was some straight talking.

However, he refused to be too downhearted, quipping that Alan Quinlan’s broken nose “is not a problem for next week; what he’s worried about is that it might spoil his good looks.”

Gaffney spoke of positives to be taken from the affair and how often they had broken the Llanelli defensive line.

“I can’t explain why the mistakes happened,” said the coach. “You’d have to ask Anthony Foley why he dropped the ball. I can’t tell you that.

“I can’t you why Jerry Flannery missed a one-on-one tackle. They’re mistakes that individuals make.

“They’re things people have to adjust for themselves. I don’t know what you do from the team point of view.”

Llanelli coach Nigel Davies had an interesting theory as to why Munster didn’t perform. “Maybe one or two Munster players had their thoughts on next week,” he mused.

“That was something we played on. If they were going to come here and look to springboard off a big performance ahead of the internationals, fine, but it was more about us and what we could bring to the game.

“We needed to bring a high level of intensity - we did that - and maybe that had something to do with the way they played as well.”