On momentous days likes this, money talks loudest
The fact that they were within two points of the reigning champions entering the 55th minute says everything you need to know about the character and resilience that seems to be ingrained in Munster rugby, irrespective of who wears the jersey. Even more so in this contest, given that they barely fired a shot in the opening half and needed a brilliant cover tackle by Simon Zebo on Steffon Armitage immediately after the restart to prevent a certain try.
In truth, they could have faced a rout.
Yet, as always, Munster refused to submit to the seemingly inevitable. Toulon are used to squeezing teams in the French Top 14 before snuffing them out. Munster are just not built like that and were firmly in the contest entering the final quarter, much to the disbelief of Toulon, whose ageing pack was visibly wilting.
Maybe that accounts for Munster’s decision with 10 minutes to go to opt for a lineout maul off a very kickable penalty. That kick could have reduced the deficit to two points at a time when they were down to 14 men, with Keith Earls in the bin after receiving a warranted yellow card. Toulon had lost their rhythm and structure at that stage and anything was possible.
When you make a decision like that, you simply have to deliver but somehow Toulon, who had struggled in dealing with the maul to that point, found the will to repel the onslaught and Munster let a glorious opportunity go a-begging. At worst, the attempted kick would have eaten into the time that Earls was off the field. Who knows what would have happened if it became a one-score game at that stage?
Munster’s first-half performance was negatively influenced by a lack of any set-piece platform with their scrum attracting three penalties from the opening five engagements. At that stage, Dave Kilcoyne was getting far too much counselling from the ever-fussy Wayne Barnes but to his credit, the young loose head fought his way back in a titanic battle against former All Black Carl Hayman to more than hold his own.
The other issue for Munster in that opening period was Toulon, through a clever kicking game, restricted Munster to just two lineouts and a solitary maul. Even then, Munster managed to knock on and turn over possession.
After Leinster’s defeat by the same opposition in the quarter final, their players bemoaned poor execution at crucial times. On this occasion Munster were every bit as culpable but many of those mistakes were as a direct result of the pressure Toulon manage to impose.
Their defensive line speed is frightening and they regularly employ shooters out of the line comfortable in the knowledge that their scramble defence will cover any line breaks. As a result, they are happy to bide their time and force the opposition into mistakes and the concession of penalties which invariably Jonny Wilkinson will reward with points.
The thing that killed Munster this time out is this stat: with the best disciplinary record in the tournament coming into this semi final — an average of 8.3 penalties per game — they had conceded nine by half-time. Even worse, some of those were extremely silly and unnecessary and carried an even more damaging impact, in that they were conceded directly after registering three pointers of their own.
Wilkinson has forged a brilliant career out of keeping a scoreboard ticking over and invariably tacks on a few drop goals for good measure. In addition Toulon have been scoring tries for fun this season so for Munster to somehow hold them try-less for the entire 80 minutes speaks wonders for the defensive effort and bravery.
To their credit, Munster managed to minimise the twin threat posed by Steffon Armitage and Mathieu Bastareaud and while both had their moments, they caused nothing like the mayhem they managed when accounting for Leinster at the Stade Felix Mayol. Munster were as effective as ever in the crucial battle of the breakdown manufacturing 15 turnovers in total, three more than Toulon, who have excelled in that area all season.
The big problem for Munster once again stemmed from their inability to create line breaks. The lack of space afforded by the suffocating Toulon defensive effort forced Munster into putting in a succession of grubber kicks, which backfired badly on a few occasions.
So for the second year in a row, Munster have come up short at the penultimate hurdle against the might of a big spending French club. It is an issue that is set to become even more challenging not only for Munster but for all Irish provinces in the revamped European Rugby Champions Cup next season.
Munster were down to the bare bones up front after the injuries to Peter O’Mahony and Donnacha Ryan and both were badly missed. Behind the scrum, Munster’s options were even more restricted. The likes of Toulon have no such issues and managed the loss of their first choice second row partnership Bakkies Botha and Ali Williams without appreciable difficulty.
That is the measure of the challenge that now faces Munster when their undoubted bravery and commitment to the cause will be insufficient to deal with the deep pockets of the French and English when it comes to the business end of the season. Attracting a cutting edge to their midfield is the immediate challenge for next season while winning the Pro 12 will constitute a decent second season for Rob Penney before he departs for Japan.
So Munster’s glorious European journey in the Heineken Cup (as we know it) has come to an honourable conclusion after contesting their 137th game and their 11th semi-final. It is no surprise, however, that the last ever Heineken Cup final now becomes the preserve of the teams currently topping the Aviva Premiership and French Top 14 championship as both chase a unique double. The money men win the day once more.
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