Form dip sends Kidney looking at Academy options

MUNSTER’s Development squad jetted out on a four-day camp to Biarritz last night keenly aware that the province’s unexpected Magners League crisis has propelled them into the spotlight.

The squad, led by Academy boss Hamish Adams and Development officer Ian Costello, will play matches tonight against Spanish outfit Ordizia and on Thursday against a Spanish and French Basque Barbarians XV. The trip was planned in advance but the province’s lack of squad depth in key positions will give the development squad players a target for next season.

European success is what Munster are now judged on, but the Magners League table made for miserable reading for coach Declan Kidney, who is travelling to the French-Spanish border for Thursday’s game.

The Heineken Cup champions are languishing just one place above cellar-dwellers Border Reivers and already 20 points behind leaders Ulster after seven games.

After the four-try defeat in Wales, Munster manager Jerry Holland — whose son Billy is in the travelling party — admitted the title was beyond Munster’s reach.

“You can never say never, but it certainly seems that winning the league is beyond us now given our position. We still have a game in hand over some teams, including Ulster, but we needed to get a point out of this game against Llanelli and we failed to do that. Right now we can’t worry about the title, we need to worry about getting off the bottom of the table.”

At this rate, Munster’s domestic season appears all but over before Christmas. The Heineken Cup is not only the most important competition for their season, it is now the only trophy they can win. What will irk Kidney and the rest of the Munster squad just as much is that they are also 12 points behind arch-rivals Leinster.

It would have been a point less had they held firm in the closing stages against Llanelli instead of conceding two late tries to miss out on a losing bonus point. Yet Holland admitted all four points were there for the taking as they trailed just 15-12 with five minutes remaining.

“I don’t think the difference between the teams was our finishing ability, it was more that we seemed to lack the belief in ourselves that we could come to somewhere like Stradey Park and get a victory. We’re obviously very disappointed because there were just three points in it with 75 minutes on the clock and we felt we could win the game. At that stage it was fairly important to at least get one point given our position in the league.”

Jeremy Manning scored all Munster’s points with the boot but failed to ignite the attack that included Kiwi centre Lifeimi Mafi making his first start as the Welsh ran in four unanswered tries.

Holland said: “You don’t necessarily need to score tries to win games but theirs came about because of our mistakes.”

One bit of good news for Munster: they could have Christian Cullen and Anthony Horgan back in contention for their next Magners League clash with the Ospreys later this month.

Development squad for France: F Roche, E McGovern, S Cronin, M Essex, T Buckley, D Ryan, E Mackey, M Melbourne, R Noonan, A Kavanagh, B O’Mahony, B Holland, D Sherry, G Hurley, P Rowley, E Ryan, E Hickey, I Hanley, M Lawlor, C Doyle, T Gleeson, M Butler, K Earls, D Hurley.