Plenty of time now to ponder over the future

IT had to end some time, of course.

Just not like this.

Munster’s place at European rugby’s top table has gone after a dozen years at the business end of the Heineken Cup and in miserable circumstances. Toulon, the new princes of French rugby, put the Irish kings to the sword, ending the two-time champions’ interest in Pool Three qualification with a mix of rugged dominance, ruthless kicking and even a bit of flair as Munster lost both Donncha O’Callaghan and Ronan O’Gara to the sin bin in short succession either side of half time.

Those were periods when Toulon scored 13 points, influential factors in a defeat which renders next week’s final group game at home to London Irish a dead rubber.

Yet while they had backed themselves into this corner following defeats at the Exiles and to Ospreys, this defeat will be the most painful.

Those prior away defeats in October and December were ones Munster would have considered as matches they let slip. This time they were well beaten and the manner of the performance will lead to serious questions about the way forward.

This watershed moment will undoubtedly prompt thoughts of retirement amongst the Munster old guard, particularly given the lack of big weekends such as this for the rest of the season.

Munster had actually started extremely brightly, winning ball from O’Gara’s kick-off courtesy of the returning talisman Paul O’Connell, who soon after disrupted Toulon’s first lineout - the French side guilty of killing the loose ball.

O’Gara, from in front of the posts, kicked Munster into a 3-0 lead and all had looked well with the world. He would later be in much the same position when he kicked the penalty that brought the first half to a close.

Alas for Munster, an awful lot went wrong in between.

Everything that could go wrong did as Toulon ran in two tries and Jonny Wilkinson was imperious with the boot.

Munster contributed to the situation that left them 26-9 down at the interval. Silly mistakes, such as Doug Howlett crossing with O’Gara, and sloppy play, allowed the England fly-half kick Toulon into the lead.

The hosts had been holed up in the town’s Holiday Inn less than two hours before kick-off, sprawled about the hotel’s restaurant and bar area while scrum-half Pierre Mignoni preferred to stretch out alone, listening to his iPod on the floor in reception.

He was still tuned in five minutes into the game when the first test of Munster’s bid to improve their scrummaging came from the Toulon number nine. Mignoni pounced on Leamy at the base of the scrum and the home side had the ball on their visitors’ 22, eventually earning a penalty that Wilkinson kicked for a 9-3 lead.

THERE were further fundamental problems with the Munster scrum as Toulon, happy to leave out Carl Hayman at tighthead, saw loosehead Laurent Emmanuelli get the better of John Hayes. Wilkinson missed his first kick of the afternoon in the 20th minute but Toulon showed they can score tries as well, Mignoni kicking high over the top of a ruck to allow Christian Loamanu beat Howlett to the catch on the line and touch down.

Munster were chasing the game at 16-3 down after just 24 minutes and O’Gara gave his province some badly needed points with a well-taken penalty to end a torrid period of play for the visitors.

Any respite quickly disappeared, however, when Donncha O’Callaghan was sin binned for taking out Toulon full-back Rudi Wolf near halfway. It was the last thing Munster needed and Toulon made them pay as Wilkinson kicked the penalty.

The Irish side’s defence then came apart at the seams as a kick ahead by Paul Warwick was blocked by Contepomi. Toulon went on the charge, stretching Munster out along their own line, and even when Sackey had to retrieve a loose pass, the English wing slid through two missed tackles to score his side’s second try of the half. Wilkinson’s conversion took the French side into a 26-6 lead before O’Gara’s penalty brought the opening half to an end.

The feud that has festered between Contepomi and O’Gara resurfaced in the second period after Mignoni grappled with the Munster No 10. Though the scrum-half appeared the aggressor, pinning his rival on the deck for some time, it was O’Gara who saw yellow, apparently for managing to get out the stranglehold. Contepomi, the third man in, went unpunished. Rough justice on an awful day for Munster rugby.

The visitors finally got over the line through David Wallace three minutes from time, but it was La Marseillaise that echoed through the stands. Munster will have to wait some time for a similar feeling but perhaps their achievements of the past 12 years can now be appreciated just a little more.

TOULON: R. Wulf; P. Sackey, G. Lovobalavu, F. Contepomi, C. Loamanu; J. Wilkinson, P. Mignoni; L. Emmanuelli, S. Bruno, D. Kubriashvili; C. Samson, D. Schofield; J. Fernandez Lobbe, G. Smith, J. Van Niekerk (capt). Subs: S. Taumoepeau for Emmanuelli (52), L. Magnaval for Mignoni (59), J. Orioli for Bruno, K. Chesney for Schofield (60), M. Merabet for Kubriashvili (65), R. Lamont for Loamanu (66), F. Auelua for Lovobalavu (71), J. El Abd for Van Niekerk (74).

MUNSTER: P. Warwick; D. Howlett, K. Earls, S. Tuitupou, J. Murphy; R. O’Gara, P. Stringer; W. du Preez, D. Varley, J. Hayes; D. O’Callaghan, P. O’Connell; J. Coughlan, D. Wallace, D. Leamy (capt).Subs: L. Mafi for Warwick (40), T. Buckley for Hayes (47), T. O’Leary for Stringer (49), D. Ryan for Coughlan (54), M. O’Driscoll for O’Callaghan (61), Darragh Hurley for du Preez (72), N. Ronan for O’Connell (74), M. Sherry for Varley (78),

Referee: D. Pearson (England).