Munster need Red Army more than ever
By the end of last season, Leinster’s pool opponents Saracens had been crowned Aviva Premiership champions while their other two pool opponents, Racing Metro and Clermont Auvergne, had finished second and third respectively in the Top14 championship after 26 gruelling rounds of competition.
In addition they beat eventual French champions Toulouse in a classic Heineken Cup semi-final in Dublin having already disposed of English Premiership runners-up Leicester Tigers at the same venue a few weeks earlier. Factor in that amazing second half comeback against Northampton in the final after trailing by 16 points at half-time and one begins to fully appreciate the magnitude of what Joe Schmidt’s men accomplished last season. They were the undisputed kings of Europe.
The question on everyone’s lips now is can they repeat that feat and match what only Leicester managed in 2001 and 2002 by winning back-to-back trophies. They would also become the first side in the history of the tournament to win three Heineken Cups in four seasons.
It helps that this season’s pool draw has a decidedly easier look about it. Last season’s surprise package in France, Montpellier, have struggled badly in this season’s Top 14 with just two wins out of nine outings so far. That sees them hovering perilously close to the relegation zone in twelfth place. In addition last weekend’s game against Lyon was cancelled due to an outbreak of the mumps which meant that they were denied the opportunity to re-introduce the likes of Francois Trinh-Duc and Fulgence Ouedraogo after their exertions at the World Cup.
The presence of Bath and Glasgow in the pool will hardly have Leinster quaking in their boots either and if they can reintegrate their World Cup stars with the minimum of fuss then you would have to fancy their chances of securing another home quarter-final. After that anything is possible and they have the opportunity of starting their campaign on a really positive note this weekend if they can open with a win in Montpellier.
It is a historic weekend for Irish rugby with all four provinces competing in the Heineken Cup for the very first time. Qualification has offered a massive boost to rugby in the west of Ireland and already the Sportsground, with an exciting new facelift, looks a more inviting place than ever before. I’m not so sure that is a good thing with the giants of European rugby Toulouse arriving in Galway on Saturday week. Fittingly that game marks the 100th appearance of Connacht in Europe even if all but one of those appearances were confined to the Challenge Cup.
The exception will be their Heineken Cup debut in London on Friday night against the current Premiership table toppers Harlequins. The respective coaches Eric Elwood and Conor O’Shea soldiered together back in the early nineties with Lansdowne when the AIL was in its prime. O’Shea has done a remarkable job at the helm of Quins, delivering the Amlin Challenge Cup last season in the face of the shame of the Bloodgate scandal. Unfortunately for Elwood, as Munster found to their cost in the semi-final of the Amlin in Thomond Park last May, Harlequins have a quality young side many of whom should be pushing for England honours in the near future.
Connacht’s Heineken Cup debut is unlikely to be a successful one.
On the back of so many people writing off Munster’s chances in Europe this season, Tony McGahan’s men won’t lack for motivation or incentive when they take on Northampton on Saturday. Over the years, Munster became accustomed to opening their challenge away from home, more often than not with a defeat in England that set things up nicely for a winner takes all encounter in Thomond Park at the back end of January. That suited the Munster mentality.
This time around, you sense that a win on Saturday against the Saints is vital, as you would not want to end up having to travel over to Franklin’s Gardens (or indeed Milton Keynes if they choose to play that final pool encounter at the home of MK Dons), seeking a win to secure a passage to the quarter-final. Then again, who knows? Maybe McGahan would gladly take that position now. Even so, Munster have been in tougher pools over the years and Saturday week’s visit to France when they meet up with old foes Castres, who they have met on more occasions (ten) than any other opposition in Europe, could be pivotal, depending on what happens on Saturday. For some reason Castres have diluted their home advantage by shifting the game to the Stade Ernest-Wallon — home of Toulouse — even though they were warned well in advance that Munster are very unlikely to travel with the type of numbers that has characterised their pilgrimages to France over the last decade. Indeed, it’s somewhat disconcerting to hear there appears to be a surfeit of tickets available for Saturday’s clash in Limerick. It’s not that long ago since tickets for a Heineken Cup game in Thomond Park were like gold dust and one hopes this is not an indicator of a shifting mind-set with the famous Red Army.
If ever Munster needed a supportive, vibrant and raucous following it is now as they continue the rebuilding process from the remains of that great side that captured their second Heineken Cup back in 2008.
There has been talk of a radical need to overhaul the Munster side as so many great servants fall victim to the ravages of time but that process started in earnest over two years ago. The Munster side that lines out on Saturday is unlikely to field more that six survivors from the team that beat Toulouse in the final four seasons ago. In the backline only Doug Howlett, Ronan O’Gara and Lifeimi Mafi are likely to start along with Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan and Denis Leamy up front. That represents a massive turnover in playing personnel.
Munster are in need of another quality ball carrier in the back row and a greater attacking threat in midfield but it isn’t as if the management are unaware of this. Market forces have dictated that suitable quality to fill those roles is not available at present and Munster will just have to work with what they have for the foreseeable future. The jury hasn’t even convened yet on Will Chambers but perhaps we will be a little more educated on that front after the weekend.
Come to think of it, the same applies to the prospects of the Munster team as a whole.
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