Munster battle bravely for the bonus

HOURS after creating a new Heineken Cup record of 12 successive victories, Munster were publicly acclaimed as the top sporting team of 2006.

After Declan Kidney’s award as manager of the year, it was a fitting finale to Munster’s European efforts this year. However, a performance that made Munster record breakers was not always in keeping with the achievement. This was a sometimes frenetic display, lacking the composure one associates with Heineken Cup champions.

Munster deserved their victory, but could so easily have blown it. From the start, they scorned kickable penalty opportunities and whipped up a storm of intensity designed to sweep Cardiff off their feet.

However, their bonus point victory was only secured in the dying seconds when everyone but the team had just about given up on it happening.

Given the amount of possession and the type of ambitious rugby they played, it was fitting that Munster should get the five points, but equally it was harsh that Cardiff lost out on picking up a bonus point of their own.

In a contest that was exciting if error-ridden, Munster never neutralised Cardiff.

Their coach Dai Young said of Munster: “I was surprised to see them go for broke early on; I would have thought their first approach would have been to win the game and let the bonus point follow, but they went chasing it from the start.

“Their clear intent was to get the bonus point win as early as possible. That was a little surprising, but I suppose that’s how you win Heineken Cups.”

Kidney, as always, was pragmatic. In accepting that it was far from the perfect display, he said: “We never seem to do things the easy way; we had to wait until the 86th minute to get a bonus try and it could have been the other way around. But as long as the players keep on producing the goods, we’ll put up with whatever stress they send our way.”

Paying tribute to the Cardiff defence, Kidney recognised that Munster would have to learn to counteract such aggressive defence in future games.

“There was a number of times in the last five minutes when the referee was signalling a penalty, but because we stayed positive and went for the score, we sometimes lost the advantage. Maybe it would have been wiser to take the three points, but I would hope further down the line that by being as positive as we were, we will be able to see what works or doesn’t work for us.”

Although Cardiff took the lead, Munster’s opening half display was close to the best they have produced this season. The Munster scrum was powerfully strong. Ben Blair gave the visitors a 3rd minute lead with a penalty, but Denis Leamy powered his way over from a scrum close in after seven minutes and O’Gara converted.

Although they lived dangerously for a couple of minutes, Munster stretched the lead at the midway point. Stringer managed to get a hoof to a loose ball and forced Mike Phillips to concede the line out. With Cardiff players ambling back for the set piece, Stringer picked up and took a quick throw to Leamy who galloped in for his second try. Again, O’Gara converted and the out- half also kicked a penalty in response to a second by Blair to leave Munster 17-6 to the good.

But with opportunities to clinically add to that lead, Munster’s lead was reduced to four when Cardiff scored a breakaway intercept try from Jamie Robinson and Blair converted. 20-13 at the break.

Barry Murphy set pulses racing with a spectacular 48th minute try but a marvellous effort created by Phillips and Williams for young Mark Lewis narrowed the gap to 25-18.

Racing pulses turned to palpitations four minutes later when Robinson was sent clear only to lose the ball as he eyed the line. Suddenly Munster, realising their vulnerability, reverted to Plan A.

Finally, Munster changed tack and mauled their way up the middle of the field instead of doing so off a line out.

Kidney, asked whether it was a planned move, smiled and said: “no comment.”

Of course it was a planned move, back to time of Rob Henderson as the midfield pivot. This time, Munster looked to Trevor Halstead to provide the initial thrust; the rest rowed in behind them and, for once, the Cardiff defence was powerless to stop the maul. Alan Quinlan got the touch down and O’Gara added the conversion.

MUNSTER: S. Payne, J. Kelly, B. Murphy, T. Halstead, I. Dowling, R. O’Gara, P. Stringer, D. Hurley, F. Sheahan, J. Hayes, D. O’Callaghan, P. O’Connell (captain), A. Quinlan, D. Leamy, D. Wallace.

Replacement: F. Pucciariello for Hurley (62)

CARDIFF BLUES: B. Blair, T. James, J. Robinson, T. Shanklin, C. Czekaj, N. MacLeod, M. Phillips, J. Yapp, T. Rhys Thomas, T. Filise, B. Davies, D. Jones, S. Morgan, X. Rush (captain), M. Williams.

Replacements: M. Stcherbina for James (20, injured), G. Powell for Filise (50), M. Lewis for Jones (52, injured), G. Williams for Thomas (60), N. Robinson for Stcherbina (61, injured), B. White for Lewis (70, injured)

Referee: J. Jutge (France).