Once bitten, twice as determined

ON THE BASIS that Munster rarely perform poorly in successive games, the defeat and subsequent lessons learned from the loss to Leinster last Friday may prove timely.

With the quarter final loss to Llanelli at Stradey Park last March still fresh in the minds, Munster have every reason and incentive to perform in the crucial Heineken Cup encounter on Saturday.

To advance from this pool, Munster’s short-term task is straight forward. They must target nine points from the back-to-back games against the Scarlets over the next 10 days.

Leinster, no doubt boosted by an excellent performance in Musgrave Park in terrible conditions, will also be aware that successive victories over an Edinburgh side have proved somewhat of a bogey team in the past is also fundamental for their quarter-final ambitions.

While both provinces can privately rue the fact they’re in the two most difficult pools in the tournament, they can derive some measure of consolation in that the sequence of games has been reasonably kind.

The back-to-back fixtures set in the middle of the six-game qualification phase are always pivotal to the advancement of any team. In this respect with both Llanelli and Edinburgh cellar-dwelling in their respective pools with only one point between them, Munster and Leinster have been offered the best of a bad lot.

Given that pool opponents Leicester face Toulouse and Clermont Auvergne play Wasps on successive weekends you sense that something will give in those fixtures as it would be a major achievement for any of those sides to win both games.

Of more immediate concern for Munster will be addressing the issues that undermined their performance in Musgrave Park. Up front, a lack of concentration at times on engagement affected Munster’s scrummaging performance while their renowned maul also needs tweaking. With gale force winds and rain a predictable feature in the December window, a productive maul becomes even more important. It was disappointing therefore that a traditional area of strength for Munster was negated by Leinster, particularly within range of the try line.

Llanelli, despite losing their opening games in this year’s Heineken Cup, showed flashes of their attacking ability in the 36-32 victory over Saracens in the EDF Energy Cup last weekend. Presented with the right type of ball, Dwayne Peel, Stephen Jones, Regan King and Daffyd James will create problems for any team. However, their defence was poor and I am sure that Declan Kidney will have taken note.

Leinster’s superbly orchestrated try by Shane Horgan, which proved the difference between the teams last weekend, was a product of delicate execution on the part of Keith Gleeson. Introduced for the last quarter he was the one, having observed Munster’s tendency to rush up in midfield, who called the move which put Luke Fitzgerald through the hole en route to Horgan’s try.

One of the challenges facing Munster is in the poor winter conditions, they lack a target man with the physical presence of a Trevor Halstead to set midfield targets for the back row to play off. Rua Tipoki and Lifeimi Mafi thrive on good surfaces and dry conditions where their speed of thought and delicate foot work have the ability to open up any defence.

Operating without a Halstead-type figure, Munster need to improvise by using the likes of David Wallace as a trailing runner off Mafi and Tipoki, utilising their renowned off-loading skills to enable the Garryowen man to carry over the game line.

For that to happen, Munster’s front five need to produce ball on the front foot. The line-out has been excellent in recent weeks while with a renewed focus on the all-important hit, Munster’s scrum can dominate Llanelli.

The other issue that curtailed Munster’s effectiveness last Friday was a lack of leadership up front. In the absence of Paul O’Connell and Alan Quinlan, Anthony Foley’s presence from the start (to provide stability and direction) could prove crucial.

Munster, as the records shows, are one of the most clinical sides around in responding to a defeat. In that respect, the loss to Leinster should be quickly put to bed with an away win that will finish Llanelli’s interest in this competition before they arrive in Thomond Park on Sunday week.

The reaction on the faces of Gordon D’Arcy, Keith Gleeson and their Leinster colleagues on the final whistle at Musgrave Park showed exactly what victory meant to them. Given that it was 22 years since they last sampled such an occasion in Cork, it was understandable in the circumstances. That victory, however, will only prove worthwhile if they carry that form through to the Christmas break. On too many occasions in the past, Leinster have followed polished performances with mediocrity. They must address that.

Without question the return to arms of Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings, fortified with the hard edge and street wisdom that two seasons at Welford Road brings, have added immeasurably to the quality and clarity of thinking of their pack. Ollie Le Roux has also brought far more to the mix than I thought and has proved an astute acquisition — even if his scrummaging remains suspect.

All this, of course, will mean nothing if Leinster lose on Friday night. Defeat will almost certainly spell the end of their challenge and given that Edinburgh have lost eight internationals from last year’s squad, Leinster must perform. Andy Robinson has made a decent start to life north of the border producing decent displays from a limited squad.

With an ever increasing support base acclimatising to the old world setting in the RDS, Leinster must not only target a victory but also the recovery of the bonus points they left behind in Toulouse. In addition to the victories I anticipate both provinces to record this weekend, defeats for Toulouse and Wasps in their games would represent an early Christmas present for Cheika and Kidney.