Penney’s men lack killer instinct

Edinburgh 17 Munster 26

For those with short memories and pining for the Munster of old, this European campaign has been nowhere near as dismal as that in 2010-11, when Tony McGahan’s side bombed out at London Irish in their opening game and were shambolic when blown to smithereens by a rampant Toulon in round five.

This season’s away defeats in Paris and at Saracens means those nadirs of two years ago have been replaced by what could have beens, maybes, and what ifs? But the bottom line is that Munster need to finish their Pool 1 campaign in style next Sunday at Thomond Park against Racing Metro.

Four tries and a bonus-point victory are what is required to qualify for the last eight as one of the two best runners-up but, returning to what has become a recurring theme at this early stage of Rob Penney’s tenure, the commitment to more expansive rugby is seeing try-scoring chances squandered by errors caused by players trying to force the issue. In short, Munster just aren’t being ruthless enough.

The concern was evident over Christmas when the Reds failed to apply the killer blow to an understrength Ulster side and gain a bonus-point fourth league try. And it was screaming for recognition nine days ago when Munster were beaten at home by Cardiff Blues when no tries at all were managed, the effort undone by 29 unforced errors.

At Murrayfield yesterday, as Munster kept their qualification hopes alive with a deserved victory over Edinburgh, they did so while still lacking that essential, clinical, ruthless touch that turns good sides into European contenders. And there was no greater example than just before half time when Penney’s side once again had a blade to their opponents’ jugular but failed to apply the fatal incision.

Dominating possession, commanding territory, Munster developed phase after phase in the Edinburgh 22, combining a successful pick and drive approach with flashes of wide play as the home side were stretched back and forth across their own line.

Referee Greg Garner did not help when he twice prevented Keith Earls and then Conor Murray from taking a tap and go penalty but then Munster took the initiative and squandered their own opportunity when Ronan O’Gara’s poor pass sent Earls to ground out wide from where a knock-on brought the half to an end.

It saw Munster return to the dressing room at 12-3 to the good, courtesy of O’Gara’s penalty-taking but without a try to show for their first-half superiority and Penney was understandably frustrated.

“If we were going to do it [score four tries] I think it was critical that we got over in that five-minute window just before half time when we were able to put ourselves in a position to and just didn’t do it. Had the second half gone as it had, it would have given us a good quarter of an hour to try and get one at the end.

“You try and get one at a time, but the guys’ minds can sometimes get a bit ahead of themselves. They got a bit anxious and it wasn’t to be.”

It was one of those afternoons. Predictions of a half-empty Murrayfield were wildly underestimated, with any undecided sports fans deterred by the sleet and snow that fell all morning in the Scottish capital and the prospect of a cosy armchair. Only the lower deck of one stand was occupied and the majority of those in it were from Munster as an official attendance of 6,220 represented Scotland’s national stadium being only a 10th full.

Munster were forced into a reshuffle of their bench when hooker Mike Sherry was withdrawn after the ankle he injured against Cardiff failed to get through the warm-up.

Given the other woes that occurred in Cork last weekend against the Welsh region that did not bode well for Penney but any early nerves were quickly soothed when O’Gara sent over a penalty in the second minute.

Three more were to follow before the interval, with one from Greig Laidlaw in reply as Munster took as 12-3 lead to the break.

The rugby gods were no more favourable in the second half when the impressive Dave Kilcoyne was sent to the sin bin for impeding Laidlaw, ironically at a quickly-taken tap penalty.

But the Scottish fly-half was soon in the bin himself and Munster won a penalty try in their loosehead’s absence, Doug Howlett making up the numbers in the back row as Wian Du Preez replaced James Coughlan.

There was more good news for the visitors when Laidlaw joined Kilcoyne in the bin in the 53rd minute. When Murray sniped over the line from the back of a ruck in the 63rd, there was hope that Munster could repeat their late rally in Limerick in round two when three late tries secured a bonus point and Edinburgh were nilled.

Neither happened this time. Munster ran out of steam as their efforts when down to 14 men took their toll in the closing minutes and Edinburgh, last year’s semi-finalists, got their first tries of the competition this season when wing Dougie Fife twice breached the Irish province’s line to give some cheer to the home side.

Much as it was for their opponents in victory, the celebrations had a muted ring to them.

EDINBURGH: G Tonks; D Fife, B Cairns (B Atiga, 55), M Scott, T Visser; G Laidlaw, R Rees; R Hislop (A Allan, 70), S Lawrie (A Titterrell, 49), WP Nel (G Cross, 70), G Gilchrist (N Talei,70), S Cox, S McInally, D Basilaia (R Grant, h-t), D Denton.

Yellow card: Laidlaw 53-63.

MUNSTER: F Jones; D Howlett, K Earls, J Downey (C Laulala, 64), S Zebo; R O’Gara (I Keatley, 65), C Murray (D Williams, 70); D Kilcoyne, D Varley, BJ Botha, D O’Callaghan (B Holland, 70), D Ryan, P O’Mahony, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan (W Du Preez, 51-58; P Butler, 65).

Yellow card: Kilcoyne 48-58 .

Referee: Greg Garner (England)