O’Gara’s Sunday roast

NEW surroundings, new opposition, same result.

Munster’s Heineken Cup campaign is back on track with a bonus point win that seemed inevitable from the moment Clermont coach Vern Cotter announced his team last Friday.

For reasons best known to them, Clermont, with 14 changes, were but a pale shadow of the side that clinically disposed of Llanelli last weekend.

Munster took full advantage with a performance that was competent rather than vintage. With back-to-back games to come in December against Llanelli, who by virtue of two defeats are all but gone from this year’s tournament, Munster should be in a strong position at the Christmas break.

By that stage, Wasps will have played Clermont twice, a sequence of games that will have a profound influence on the outcome of this pool.

Apart from Munster’s victory the other major plus on the day was the first sighting of the new Thomond Park. Still 12 months from completion, first impressions were very favourable. With the skeletons of two new stands clearly visible behind the terracing, it would appear that the new arena will lose nothing of its traditional values. If anything, it has the potential to be better.

Munster will now have a facility commensurate with their status in the European game, which should also prove beneficial in attracting top quality overseas players to complement the best homegrown talent.

Of more immediate concern will be negotiating the minefield of this pool. Wasps’ bonus point win in Llanelli on Saturday has put them in the driving seat and if anything increased the pressure on Munster prior to kick-off. They responded admirably.

The line-out was a real source of strength for Munster with a 100% return on their own throw and six more pilfered from Clermont throws. In this respect Mick O’Driscoll was outstanding, not only out of touch, but also at the restarts where Munster were suspect against Wasps.

As in the Ricoh Arena last week, Ronan O’Gara was the chief architect of this performance. He varied the play right from the outset when Munster managed to put width on their game, asking questions of the Clermont defence.

However, it was his awareness in the build-up to Munster’s opening try that sets him apart. Awarded a penalty close to the touchline, he spotted the unmarked Shaun Payne on the far side of the pitch and delivered the perfect cross-field kick for the Munster full-back to score his second try in as many weeks.

With Clermont’s flying Fijian winger Vilimoni Delasau sin-binned (rather harshly) in the same penalty incident with just eight minutes gone, the game could not have started better for Munster. Uncharacteristically, however, they failed to press home the advantage of the extra man as Clermont showed character in clawing their way back into the game.

Once again Lifeimi Mafi displayed infectious enthusiasm with his whole-hearted approach and dancing feet and posed a threat every time he was in possession.

HIS defence has now, however, become a target for the opposition as he rushes out of the defensive line, creating a dog-leg alignment for the opposition to attack. He needs to address this issue, because he has so much to offer in attack that he’s worth his weight in gold.

Munster’s scrum was dominant throughout as Georgian props Goderzi Shvelidze and Davit Zirakashvili felt the full brunt of the Horan-Flannery-Hayes combination, no doubt eager to set the record straight after Bordeaux. Even the considerable presence of South African captain John Smit at hooker could do nothing to blunt the Munster effort.

Munster’s second try on the stroke of half time was a product of their scrum dominance, Rua Tipoki rowing in with a second try in successive games when supporting a pick and drive by Denis Leamy.

Having decided to play against a strong wind in the opening half, Munster were in a commanding position at the break. Brian Carney scored his first Heineken Cup try in the opening minutes of the second half and a home victory was assured. As the contest ground to its inevitable conclusion the bonus point try took longer than Munster would have expected.

When Alan Quinlan, who backed up his man-of-the-match performance of last week with another polished display, scored with only four minutes left on the clock, a palpable sense of relief descended on the ground.

That score had been a long time coming as Clermont, through Delasau and Marius Joubert in particular, showed glimpses of what they’ll be capable of when at full strength. That said, how Joubert was awarded man-of-the-match was a mystery. Even he looked embarrassed when it was announced.