Is it fanciful to begin thinking of cup repeat?
With Ulster and Leinster losing to Magners League rivals Llanelli and Edinburgh, once again Munster were the lone occupants of the winner’s enclosure.
The inconsistency that has bedeviled Leinster for so long was once again in evidence in Murrayfield yesterday. While it took an injury-time drop goal from Duncan Hodge to secure victory for the Scottish side, on the overall level of performance it was difficult to deny them victory, particularly as Leinster’s second-half try from substitute Luke Fitzgerald resulted from a blatant forward pass.
When Michael Cheika reviews this game, he will surely question the indiscipline of his side which resulted in 10 first-half penalties, the concession of 10 metres on two occasions for back chat and the loss to the sin bin of Brian Blaney. With a place kicker of Chris Paterson’s ability, Leinster were severely punished.
Once again the shortcomings of the Leinster front five were there for all to see. The scrum was under severe pressure and for the second week in a row, the lineout was less than convincing. Given that this Edinburgh pack are not exactly man-eaters, one now has grave concerns for Leinster given that they face pool leaders Agen on successive weekends in December. It is just as well the first game is in Dublin.
To their credit, Leinster showed tremendous character to fight back from the concession of a try by Rob Dewey with minutes remaining. Girvan Dempsey’s try looked like earning Leinster the spoils until Hodge produced his match-winning cameo.
Despite the lack of quality possession, Leinster were in this game due primarily to the brilliance of Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horgan and the kicking of Felipe Contepomi. They now face an uphill struggle for qualification given that they have yet to visit Agen at the Stade Armandie and Gloucester at Kingsholm.
On Saturday, European action returned to Thomond Park for the first time since the Cardiff triumph. As a result, the reception afforded to the team as they entered the arena was more special than normal. With only two Heineken Cup games before the stadium redevelopment next January, these are days to be savoured.
Such was the adherence to silence for the kickers that even those commentating on radio and television were subjected to a tongue-lashing from the crowd for daring to speak during the crucial moments. The outside world would just have to wait.
With a four-try bonus point secured with 25 minutes to go, and six tries scored in all, this was a highly competent performance. The fact that six different players scored, evenly split between forwards and backs, will please Declan Kidney even more.
On a day when the Munster pack were once again offered a stern set piece examination, the most encouraging aspect was the performance of Munster’s three-quarter line.
Over the years, Munster’s back play has been unfairly criticised and the subject of inaccurate comment. Yes, at times they suffer by comparison with the brilliance of the forwards but in recent seasons their try-scoring record is there for all to see.
At times on Saturday the pace and inventiveness of the back line was a joy to watch. In this respect no combination on the field prospered and contributed more than Trevor Halstead and Barry Murphy in midfield. On only his third start since breaking a leg last February, Murphy sent a clear signal to all that he is back. One always has a concern for a player when breaking his leg that his pace may suffer as a consequence. Murphy clearly demonstrated that he has lost none of his cutting edge.
Undoubtedly, it was a major plus for him to play outside Halstead. Given that he has also had limited game time recently due to injury, his contribution was immense. His use of possession and his ability to offload in the tackle was responsible for the creation of two of Munster’s scores.
With a view to the future, the other major bonus was the unveiling of Lifeimi Mafi. The word emanating from the training camp was extremely positive and first impressions were stunning. Receiving his first pass deep in his own half, his outside break from a deft step-and-go, left the crowd gasping. His handoff and offload for Andy Kyriacou’s try suggested that Munster might have unearthed a gem.
Bourgoin for their part, despite a concession of an early try to Frankie Sheehan, posed a lot of problems up front. Their lineout was excellent throughout and produced quality ball. In out half Benjamin Boyet they had a player of undoubted quality and given the recent problems that France have encountered in this position, one wonders how long it will be before Bernard Laporte offers him a further opportunity on the international stage.
The turning point in the opening half came when former Munster scrum half Mike Prendergast was sin binned for interference with Denis Leamy. Munster’s response was clinical when scoring two tries and 12 points in this 10-minute period.
When Munster presented a gift try to replacement winger Florin Denos to reduce the margin to seven points early in the second half, there was momentary concern. However a magnificent forward drive resulted in Donncha O’Callaghan’s second try in two weeks. The bonus point and victory was now assured.
A key factor was Munster’s ability to vary their point of attack. In times past an over-reliance on the driving maul left Munster vulnerable. They now possess more strings to their bow. In this respect, the performances of Denis Leamy and David Wallace, with their ability to contribute both in the tight and the loose, has been a major factor. That and the consistency of John Kelly and Sean Payne.
Whisper it but people are now beginning to think “two in a row”. Why not?
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