Munster can exert control at halfback

WHEN the final whistle sounded on Munster’s pulsating 25-31 semi-final victory over Toulouse in Bordeaux, little did we think that it would take the aristocrats of French rugby three years to reach the penultimate stage of the competition again. The fall-out from that defeat was massive.

While Munster maintained a level of progress that saw them reach the semi-final of the competition every year since (the only side to do so), Toulouse failed to get out of their group. Now they are back.

At the outset of the competition, Toulouse beat Irish opposition with ease. When they massacred Munster by 60-19 in 1997, one feared for the future of Irish sides in Europe. Fortunately, the French felt the same. This level of complacency was certainly to the fore when Ulster beat Toulouse at the quarter-final stages in Ravenhill in 1999 and even more so when Munster emerged victorious in that epic semi-final three years ago.

French rugby has a new found respect for its Irish counterparts. When one considers that at international level Ireland has won three out of the last four encounters, this is understandable. At European club level, the French have found it impossible to win on Irish soil and latterly both Munster and Leinster have claimed notable scalps in France. Toulouse coach Guy Noves was at the helm for all the encounters with Irish sides over the last eight seasons and will know what to expect.

The hangover from the final last season, coupled with the defeat to England in the Grand Slam encounter, played a huge part in the mindset of the Munster players entering the Leicester game.

The key to success on Saturday lies in their ability to control the pace of the game. If it becomes loose and unstructured then Munster will be in trouble. This is exactly what happened when Leinster played there last year. The result: 43-7 to the home side. Alan Gaffney was part of the Leinster set-up for that game and will have learned a lot from it.

In common with all French sides, Toulouse can be devastating from broken play. Their back three containing current French stars Clement Poitrenaud and Vincent Clerc along with veteran international Emile Ntamack have the potential to destroy.

The plus from Munster’s perspective is that they possess a better kicking game than their opponents. Given a reasonable supply of possession, Ronan O’Gara and Peter Stringer will dictate exactly what position on the field the game will take place. This could have a potentially frustrating effect on the French.

Toulouse fielded fifteen full internationals in the quarter-final against Northampton. All but Trevor Brennan have played for France. It is ironic therefore that the “Leixlip milkman” has become the talisman for this French side and it is a tribute to him that he has played in all Toulouse’s big games this season. Lining-out in the second-row in the French championship, his hard edge has been used to good effect in the back row in Europe. It is somewhat ironic that in order to tame the French we may first have to tame one of our own. At this stage, Brennan is an injury doubt for Saturday. His absence would be a plus for Munster.

At halfback, Delaigue and Michalak deserve respect and will pose a bigger threat than their Leicester counterparts did. It is a measure of the footballing ability of their side that Michalak was selected at fly-half for France’s last two games in the Six Nations, but regularly plays scrum-half for Toulouse.

Xavier Garbajosa is having an outstanding season having found his true position at outside centre. As recently as last Saturday, he scored a hat-trick of tries against Pau. However, his defence remains suspect. When positioned at full back in the semi-final of the 1999 World Cup against New Zealand, he quite literally stepped out of the way of Jonah Lomu.

As with all games of this nature, the real battle will take place up front. While possessing a full international pack, Toulouse seems to lack a hard edge they had in the days when Calafano, Tournaire, Miorion and Dispagne lined out for them. In the second-row, Pelous has had another excellent season, but their driving force stems from the back-row through Brennan and number eight Christian Labit. It is encouraging in that respect that the Munster back-row has been outstanding individually and collectively all season.

Since the win over Leicester, the Munster second-row has come in for much praise and deservedly so. However, from here on in, O’Connell and O’Callaghan will find that the challenges will get tougher. Post Welford Road their line-out work will be closely scrutinised and the spaces will get smaller.

Having watched Toulouse play Northampton in the quarter-final, I am convinced that Munster possess a superior level of teamwork. Toulouse has fifteen outstanding international players, but are not overly intimidating. Munster have always been greater than the sum of their parts, but recently the parts have been playing better than ever. As a result I feel that they are capable of shading this one.

The atmosphere promises to be electric. In a brand new 36,500 capacity stadium, Toulouse enjoy an even more fanatical support than most French sides. Given that Munster could have over 12,000 supporters with them, it promises to be fascinating and memorable. Sit back and enjoy.