Patience a virtue as Reds sail through the storm

IT MAY have taken almost 24 hours longer than originally intended but Munster negotiated a safe passage to a home quarter final of this season’s Heineken Cup by virtue of their comprehensive 26-point victory at the Stade De Sapiac.

While the rescheduling of their final pool game severely inconvenienced the players and management not to mention the sizeable support that travelled, at least it painted a clearer picture of what was required to seize that all-important home advantage. Ospreys’ defeat of Leicester at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday meant a win of any kind would satisfy that requirement. Parking the necessity of a four-try winning bonus point was a big psychological advantage. In the end even that was achieved with a very composed and professional second-half performance which yielded four tries to add to Tomas O’Leary’s sole first-half five-pointer.

After the excellence of last week’s display against the Sale Sharks, it was inevitable that Munster would struggle to reach those heights. The extra day spent hanging around a windswept Montauban was hardly conducive to the notion of hitting the ground running, but in the end made little impact. The sight of Paul O’Connell, John Hayes and Denis Leamy receiving a standing ovation as they had the luxury of exiting with 12 minutes left on the clock told its own story.

Munster, despite spirited resistance from a game Montauban side, grew in stature as the game progressed and looked exactly what they are, a grizzled and experienced side well versed in the demands of playing in the demanding environment that characterises rugby in the south of France.

In order to establish control it was fascinating to see a return to more traditional means with the foundation for this win emanating from a rock solid scrum and a productive line out maul. After all the interactive, ball-in-hand rugby displayed against Sale, it was great to see that Munster still have the facility to play the game with a variety of approaches.

After a nervous start where once again discipline was a problem, referee Dave Pearson saw fit to penalise Munster for a variety of offences on five occasions in the opening 10 minutes. Given that a coach budgets for his side conceding an average of 10 per game it created all sorts of problems for the reigning champions in that opening period. Yet they managed to claw their way back into the game primarily due to the efforts of Tomás O’Leary and O’Connell. O’Leary’s work rate and decision making were excellent. His opening try from the base of an attacking five-metre scrum — which he manufactured by closing down his opposite number Julien Audy in the in-goal area — was reminiscent of David Wallace at his best. O’Leary displayed tremendous leg drive to make the line despite the presence of two Montauban defenders. The platform set by Marcus Horan, Jerry Flannery and Hayes at scrum time set the ground rules.

It is a sign of the times that a victory in this part of the world is almost taken for granted. When Lifeimi Mafi scored under the sticks again after a great break from O’Leary three minutes into the second half, this contest was over. With an unchanged side from last week, there was further evidence that the midfield combination of Mafi and Keith Earls is now beginning to bed down with the luxury of Rua Tipoki also available when he returns after injury. Earls just gets better and better with another impressive all-round display. Defensively he coped well with the threat of the massive Jean Philippe Viand but in possession his stepping ability created all kinds of problems for the home side. On a firmer track he would have wreaked havoc. One now hopes that the injury that forced him from the field with 15 minutes to go won’t deprive him of an opportunity to make his Six Nations debut.

The one thing that continues to baffle all opposition is the hunger, commitment and drive that Munster continue to bring to the table. Nobody epitomises this more than O’Connell. When his side were going through a sticky patch in that opening half — with the Montauban pick-and-go game causing all kinds of problems — it was the captain who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and drove his team forward. His ball carrying was inspirational and players just tuck in behind and follow.

Munster now have a period of relative hibernation with this great tournament parked until April. Several of Tony McGahan’s men can now prepare for a challenge of a different kind on the international arena safe in the knowledge that another quarter final date with destiny has been locked away.