No histrionics, please

REALITY will have dawned on the Munster squad when they assembled for training over the last two days that things are different.

The absence of that traditional buzz and feeling of anticipation in the build up to their final pool game is something they have not experienced for well over a decade.

The non-appearance of the Sky cameras with their questions will provide definitive evidence that Munster are now off Broadway, on the outside looking in. The fact that Leinster, and hopefully Ulster, will play a central role when the quarter-final permutations are completed on Sunday afternoon will only add to the feeling of exclusion.

From the moment this season’s draw was confirmed last June, Munster had their work cut out to emerge from this pool. They were also unlucky that their opening game was away to London Irish as opposed to either the Ospreys or Toulon as the Irish provinces are always slow off the mark in that opening game given their international squad players’ late entry to the season.

Had the away game against the Exiles been just before or after Christmas, there is every reason to suggest, given London Irish’s very poor form at that stage, that Munster could have garnered that all-important away win. Toulon were the only team in the pool to achieve that feat and hence make the knockout stage.

Thereafter, most of Munster’s difficulties were self-inflicted. Their tactical approach on Sunday was hard to fathom and the failure to change tack mid-stream was also a bit of a mystery given the experienced personnel on board. All week, the cry was that it is cup rugby time — Munster’s bread and butter. With the possible exception of UCC back in 1981, nobody ever won a Munster Cup by adhering to a wide, wide strategy.

Of course the professional era has altered the game completely and teams no longer kick away possession to the opposition, as it could take an age to get it back. Toulon adjusted their kicking strategy from what we had seen lately, denying Munster any lineout opportunities. In the opening half, Damien Varley threw into the Munster lineout just once — 32 minutes into the contest.

Two things became abundantly clear after 20 minutes of Sunday’s game. Firstly Jonny Wilkinson was in the groove and likely to punish any indiscretion from as far out as 55 metres. Therefore Munster had to try and play the game as far away from their posts as possible. Full back Rudi Wolf is a winger by trade, is small in stature and unproven under the high ball with a string of red jerseys running at him.

Unfortunately, he was never tested.

Secondly, Toulon adopted a very aggressive defensive pattern which frustrated Munster’s efforts to go wide from an early stage. As a consequence, Munster were forced into the concession of silly knock-ons and spilled passes. The net result of that — scrums. Not good news.

I still believe that Toulon are eminently beatable as long as Wilkinson’s boot can be neutralised. It was interesting that he never attempted even one drop goal on Sunday. He didn’t have to as Munster were offering three pointers elsewhere.

Munster must also factor in the fact that the two tries from Sackey and Loamanu should not have been conceded as there were sufficient defenders in place on both occasions. Johne Murphy and Keith Earls were badly at fault for the opening try and nobody competed in the air with Loamanu for the second.

Ironically, with the Ospreys beaten in Reading, a losing bonus point in Toulon would have kept Munster’s qualification dreams alive this weekend. That, however, would only have offered a stay of execution as they have not displayed the form of champions this season. Leinster’s fifth win in a row over Munster at the Aviva was not an accident but a reflection of two teams heading in the opposite direction, for the time being at least. These things happen in cycles.

Much has been made of the age profile of the Munster players but this is another by-product of the professional game. Players will now play for as long as their bodies allow them to and they are offered a professional contract. You can’t fault them for that.

The most pertinent, revealing and worrying comment after the game came again from Ronan O’Gara in his post-match interview. He said that Munster were “mentally weak”. Discipline and scrum issues aside, that explains a lot about Munster’s failures on the road this season. The confidence and belief fundamental to everything Munster have achieved in recent years, especially away from home, seems to be absent. It is incumbent on management to discover why that is the case. Sometimes as a player, the older you get, the more you think about the pitfalls and what could go wrong. Younger players just don’t harbour such inhibitions.

Let there be no histrionics, a period of rebuilding is required. Toulouse failed to make the quarter-finals for two seasons in a row in 2001 and 2002 and came back strongly while Leinster under Michael Cheika failed to make the cut in 2008 yet won the tournament the following year.

Qualifying for the Amlin Challenge Cup is now Munster’s priority and while that might seem a step backwards, it affords the opportunity to expose a few of the younger brigade to the demands of European competition. Whatever happens from here on in needs to be measured and controlled. That is something Munster have been very good at in the professional era.

Depressing discipline

THE most depressing aspect of Munster’s form this season has been their lack of discipline.

With Jonny Wilkinson about, repeating those failings on Sunday was a recipe for disaster.

In truth, though, it’s been a recurring theme all season.

The statistics on this front tell its own story: four yellow and a red card in five Heineken Cup games (in addition to 11 yellow in 13 Magners League games).

Given that a team’s disciplinary record is used as a criteria to separate teams on equal points, tries and scoring differential when deciding the quarter-finalists, it is even more important in the Heineken Cup.

There is no doubt that Munster have lost the trust of referees who now seem to go out looking for Munster indiscretions due to pre-conceived notions.

It is time for Munster to address and change those notions.

Munster’s penalty count has been far too high in most games this season. Wise counsel suggests that if you concede more than 10 penalties in any match, you will end up on the losing side.

Munster disproved that the previous week against Glasgow Warriors when they were pinged on that many occasions in the opening half alone but the question remains: why are they continuously incurring the wrath of referees?

At one stage on Sunday, Dave Pearson penalised John Hayes for collapsing a scrum despite the fact he was positioned on the far side and could not have had a clear view of proceedings. I don’t think it was called by the assistant referee, who in any case, was at least 30 metres from that engagement.

In the second half, Tomas O’Leary was penalised for a shoulder charge on Paul Sackey but television evidence shows that he barely grazed him and it certainly was not intentional. At the other end of the scale, Donncha O’Callaghan’s obstruction on Rudi Wolf left Pearson with no option but to produce yellow. When you do things like that, you don’t deserve the sympathy of the referee. The Munster management now have a job in regaining the confidence of the officials even if they feel they have been harshly treated. Teams must work with referees on and off the field.