Leinster inspire, Munster perspire.
The net result of the weekend’s deliberations is that all three Irish sides have qualification to the knockout stage within their control even if some, Leinster in particular, are in a better position than others.
It was inevitable, given the quality in their squad, that the Ospreys were going to dent Munster’s European aspirations at some stage in this tournament, and Saturday was the day. The only consolation for Munster was that it could have been worse. At least they had the satisfaction of clinging on to that bonus point at the death. If the one secured at the outset of this pool at the Madejski Stadium against London Irish was fashioned by some quality work from David Wallace, Duncan Williams and Sam Tuitupou, this one owed more to very poor game management and decision-making by Ospreys captain Alun-Wyn Jones.
Offered two penalties in the final minute with a four point lead, Jones opted for a series of tapped penalties instead of a scrum under the posts. Given Munster’s woes in that department all day, it was a bizarre decision.
The fact that Lifeimi Mafi was also dispatched to the sin bin offered them additional options out wide off a scrum if they chose to run. In the end they did neither and an excellent smother tackle by Mick O’Driscoll on Jones copper-fastened the losing bonus point that offers Munster the edge over the Ospreys should they finish on equal points at the end of the pool stage by virtue of more tries scored in the head-to-heads.
Despite two defeats, Munster’s qualification is still in their hands but they must now travel to Toulon in January and win. Nothing else will suffice,especially after Toulon’s bonus point victory over London Irish on Saturday. In those circumstances, Munster are likely to appeal Paul O’Connell’s suspension — even a reduction of a week in his ban would enable him to get in the Magners League game against Glasgow the previous weekend. They may well have other disciplinary issues to deal with as the citing commissioner may well look at another dangerous tackle by Mafi.
This was the day when Munster’s vulnerability in the scrum came back to haunt them and it proved the principal difference between defeat and victory. Offered two gilt-edged opportunities — one in each half — to attack off scrums five metres from the Ospreys line, Munster were unable to capitalise. The one in the opening half resulted in an Ospreys penalty after Munster were sent reeling with Tony Buckley in all kinds of trouble. It proved a huge psychological moment for the Welsh with less than ten minutes on the clock. From that moment they looked forward to each engagement with relish, knowing they had the measure of Munster in the scrum.
This was a very uncharacteristic Munster performance, punctuated with unforced errors and mistakes due in some instances to lapses in concentration. They also lacked their trademark patience during periods of intense and sustained pressure on the Ospreys line in the second half. Realising at the break that the Ospreys were fanning out wide in defence, Munster cleverly reverted to a more direct approach, with their pick and drive working to good effect.
The only problem, however, was that the ball carrier regularly got separated from his support players and was either turned over or penalised. It is the responsibility of the support players to get there in numbers but for whatever reason, it just wasn’t happening. Leinster over the course of the last two weekends were far more accomplished in this aspect of the game and reaped the rewards.
On other occasions, having done the hard part in creating good line breaks, Tuitupou (twice) and O’Driscoll conceded possession when attempting difficult offloads. Therein lays the dilemma when trying to expand and develop that type of game. It is laudable, but on too many occasions their execution let them down when attempting the million dollar pass.
Munster’s brave efforts in defence in the opening half kept them in the game along with a clever kicking strategy using both Ronan O’Gara and Paul Warwick as twin pivots left and right off Tomas O’Leary. By and large their kick/chase was excellent with Keith Earls doing some superb work. Crucially, Munster lost a great opportunity near the end when after a clever chip from Johne Murphy, the former Leicester Tiger, in tandem with Warwick, left Ospreys full-back Barry Davies out of their grasp when it looked inevitable that a penalty or a turnover would result.
Arguably, the most important turnover of these back-to-back contests happened off the field when the Ospreys succeeded in overturning Marty Holah’s two-week ban for tripping Edinburgh’s Chris Patterson. The former All Black was outstanding at the Liberty Stadium, a constant thorn in Munster’s side at the breakdown.
LEINSTER followed up on their brave performance in defeat in Clermont with one of even greater precision and quality in their dismantling of the current French champions. Those who were ready to dismiss new coach Joe Schmidt after only a few games back in September look pretty silly now as the former assistant to Clermont coach Vern Cotter firmly achieved the upper hand in the tactical battle between the two over the last eight days.
If Munster’s scrum proved their undoing, Leinster’s was a platform for success, with two home grown props in Cian Healy and Mike Ross outstanding against quality opposition. The decision not to award Ross any game time in the autumn internationals looks even more ridiculous now. Getting Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Heaslip fit for the fray was a boost of monumental proportions. Their off-loading game was mesmeric and completely cut Clermont apart. For the second week in-a-row Sean O’Brien was out of this world, his ball carrying magnificent.
Isa Nacewa also made light of Rob Kearney’s absence with a display of poise and confidence that inspired all around him. In addition Leinster’s honesty and tenacity in defence complements their ability to create and excite. They are achieving the perfect balance between brain, brawn and brilliance at the moment and look a real force in this year’s tournament. The challenge now is to maintain those heights when the Heineken Cup returns after the festive break.
Like on so many occasions in the past, it’s backs to the wall time again for Munster with that trip to the Stade Felix-Mayol in Toulon after Christmas requiring another one of those Houdini escapes. By way of contrast, Leinster look home and hosed for a quarter final berth, with their target now a vital home draw while Ulster look poised for one of the two best runners up slot at the very least.
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