Kidney left to rue missed try chances

DECLAN KIDNEY insists his Munster side failed to grab their opportunities in yesterday’s dismal 16-3 defeat to the Ospreys.

The Munster head coach witnessed his men miss two glorious chances for tries and three penalties in the opening period before the defending Magners League champions stormed back before the interval to crush the Irish outfit.

Ospreys backs Lee Byrne and Shane Williams scored the tries and Kidney believes it was an opportunity lost on the road for the Red Army.

Kidney said: “We should have taken our opportunities that came our way. They took their chances and that was the main difference in the match.

“We’re extremely disappointed but we must give credit to the Ospreys. They took their chances well. In the second half we had more chances and there was question marks about the decision that went upstairs to the Television Match Official. We will have another look at that. We felt we were controlling the game much better at that stage.

“We’ve got a break coming up and we have to start firing after that. You have to look at the overall structure of the league. Some of the other teams have played two more games than us.

“We know we’re in a catch-up situation now, we’ve got nine points from four games and ideally we’d like to have 12. But it’s up to us to turn it around and make up the points elsewhere.”

The match of the weekend saw both teams blood returning yet fragile World Cup stars after Ireland and Wales failed to qualify from the pool stages.

Munster welcomed back squad members Brian Carney and Alan Quinlan to the fold while the Ospreys named Wales internationals Shane Williams, Sonny Parker and Jonathan Thomas in a strong line-up as well as, fly-half Gareth Owen.

Many critics have pinpointed the overall lack of intensity and strength in the Magners League competition as well as Irish sides playing weakened sides as a reason for Ireland and Wales’ early exits from the World Cup.

But Kidney dispelled those comments. He said: “I’d like those people who have said that to come and say it to my face because we had a strong team out there. I think we, as Celts, tend to knock ourselves too much and do ourselves more damage than anything.

“Just go and ask the players who have played in both the Guinness Premiership and the Magners League and they say we have the tougher league. They are the only people who will know. I haven’t heard anything different than that. I’ve got a lot of belief in the boys we selected and hope we will do better next time.”

Munster had travelled in good spirits having won in Wales a fortnight ago with a late success against Newport Gwent Dragons.

But they fell behind quickly on three minutes when the 18-year-old Owen converted a close-range penalty after Brian Carney failed to release the ball.

Fly-half Paul Warwick had an afternoon to forget with the boot as he missed three penalties in the opening half.

Munster competed well at the breakdown but threw away a golden opportunity on 19 minutes when hooker Denis Fogarty knocked on just metres short of the try line.

Flanker Quinlan’s exquisite chip found wing Carney who was held up short of the line and in the next phase, Fogarty couldn’t handle the ball.

The miss was to prove expensive as the Ospreys stepped up the pressure. Scrum half Mike Phillips surged through the Munster defence and over the tryline but Television Match Official Hugh Watkins disallowed the try.

But the home side weren’t to be denied and on 35 minutes it was Owen who made the crucial break before his pass found full-back Lee Byrne who beat the last-ditch challenge from Carney to score the first try of the afternoon. Just four minutes later, the Ospreys kept the TMO busy with the fourth decision of the half as Shane Williams displayed his dancing feet to ease past Ian Dowling to score in the right corner to extend the Ospreys half-time lead to 13 points.

Owen and replacement kicker Jeremy Manning swapped penalties as the Ospreys sealed their comfortable victory.

OSPREYS: L Byrne; N Walker (blood bin J Hook 62), S Parker, G Henson (A Bishop 13), S Williams; G Owen (N Walker 70), M Phillips (M Roberts 80); D Jones, H Bennett (B Williams 74), C Griffiths (A Jones 53), I Gough, I Evans (L Bateman 80), J Thomas, F Tiatia (capt), B Lewis (S Tandy 80).

MUNSTER: S Payne (P Stringer 50); B Carney, K Lewis, R Tipoki, I Dowling (L Mafi 65); P Warwick (J Manning 48), T O’Leary; F Pucciariello (D Hurley 74), D Fogarty (F Sheahan 50), T Buckley, M Melbourne (B Holland 74), M O’Driscoll, A Quinlan, A Foley (capt) (J Coughlan 74).

Referee: Simon McDowell (IRFU)