Mighty Clermont pack a deadly punch as Irish rugby gets a dose of reality
It happened over the weekend with Champions Cup defeats for Munster and Leinster to erase their unbeaten records in Pools 1 and 2 respectively. At least Leinster secured the minimum requirement of a losing bonus point on the road and while Munster also bagged a consolation point for losing by a margin of seven points, that won’t have done much to dampen the pain they experienced when waking up yesterday morning.
It has taken a long time for a French club to come to terms with what is required to meet and beat the Munster challenge on Irish soil. Given the quality of some of the French teams that have taken on that challenge over the years at Musgrave Park, Lansdowne Road and more often at Thomond Park, it is testament to the quality of the Munster resistance that it has taken a total of 24 visits before they eventually managed to crack the code.
On this occasion Clermont arrived with the perfect game plan and executed it to perfection.
They dictated the terms of engagement and always appeared in control regardless of whether they were in possession or not. Suffice to say it was the best performance a French team has ever delivered in one of the most revered venues in the European game.
The reaction of the Clermont players at the final whistle left you in no doubt what this result meant. This was a day they would treasure for a long time to come. It could also prove a seminal moment for the best club never to win a Heineken Cup.
My big fear coming into this contest was the influence former Leinster forwards coach Jonno Gibbs would have on proceedings. You just knew that any pack under his tutelage would not be prepared to be bullied in the manner that Toulouse were in last season’s quarter-final and that the experience gained from his time in Dublin preparing Leinster for clashes of this nature would prove invaluable.
That is exactly what transpired.
Right from the off they imposed their will and kept Munster guessing when spreading their resources across the field in order to camouflage the destination of the kick. They knew that regaining possession was vital in order to make an early statement.
They feigned to go left before highly influential out half Camille Lopez changed direction, delivering the perfect hang time for the towering French veteran midfielder Aurélien Rougerie to retrieve possession. With that, scrum half Ludovic Radosavljevic put in a sumptuous box kick that forced Felix Jones to carry into touch.
Within 15 seconds they had field position and opportunity. Their gargantuan pack smelt blood and the chance to do to Munster what their hosts have done to just about every French team that had attempted to win here in the past.
The line out maul has long been Munster’s stock in trade in Europe. Clermont reversed the roles and took them on at source with No 8 Fritz Lee touching down before the match clock had reached its first minute — 56 seconds to be precise. It was to prove the first of many outstanding contributions the former New Zealand Sevens exponent would deliver in a man of the match performance.
From the moment he stood toe to toe and traded blows with Munster captain Peter O’Mahony later in that opening quarter — the citing commissioner may yet look at that in greater detail — it was clear the visiting pack were not taking a backward step. Gibbs had them primed and they were only too keen to deliver. Throughout the opening half they ticked all the boxes a visiting team has to achieve to entertain any hope of winning in Thomond Park.
With or without the ball they were magnificent and set about constructing a defensive wall that proved impregnable. Munster were on the back foot for the entire contest as Clermont refused to surrender the gain line. They targeted Munster’s key players in O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Paul O’Connell refusing to allow them boss the game. Munster were getting a taste of their own medicine and were powerless to do anything about it.
It was inevitable that at some stage a French powerhouse would turn up at Thomond Park and deliver on the considerable advantages they possess in financial clout, playing personnel and squad depth.
The fact that Munster made just two substitutions over the 80 minutes, both due to injury, was a reflection of the perceived lack of impact available off the bench. Clermont introduced five quality internationals amongst them a British and Irish Lion.
It also helped that in Lopez, Clermont have found the controlling influence at out half that has eluded them in Europe for years. This time last season he arrived in Limerick with a Perpignan side low in confidence and with no appetite for battle. He lasted 31 minutes before retiring injured. Perpignan were stuffed 36-8.
He must have looked around his dressing room on Saturday and felt a lot happier in the knowledge that he was not only surrounded by a team of real substance but one prepared to give everything to the cause. It was as if Clermont drew a line in the sand after that humiliating defeat to Saracens in last season’s Heineken Cup semi-final at Twickenham and said enough is enough. They certainly played that way.
As always Munster carried the fight to the final whistle, the only difference on this occasion being that the inevitable fight back that has rescued so many lost causes in the past could only yield a draw at best this time out.
Chasing a seven-point deficit at the death, the game finished as it started with a five metre attacking line out. Clermont gambled on Munster throwing to O’Connell. Damien Chouly attacked his space and turned over possession. As a metaphor for the game it couldn’t have been more stark. Munster were out thought and out fought from start to finish and have plenty to address before Sunday’s rematch.
Leinster’s recent successes in Europe means they are now a prized scalp and it was no surprise that Harlequins should reserve their best performance of the season for the visit of the former champions to the Stoop.
They managed to put their recent Aviva Premiership struggles behind them and while everyone expected the change of environment to energise Conor O’Shea’s team, it was the improvement of their scrum that must surely have caught Leinster by surprise.
Leinster fielded seven forwards who started at least one of Ireland’s recent internationals yet they were dismantled in the scrum and struggled out of touch. That put them on the back foot and when combined with the defensive line speed that Harlequins produced throughout, Leinster were unable to fashion a single try despite some good line breaks.
Much of that was down to a mix of poor handling errors, inaccurate passing, flawed decision making and an uncharacteristic lack of patience when camped in the Harlequins 22. It didn’t help that Harlequins’ Fijian winger Asaeli Tikoirotuma pilfered an intercept try at a crucial point when it looked as it Leinster might get one themselves. That gave Quins the confidence to finish the job.
With it all to do again next weekend Leinster, despite playing well below their capabilities, look in a better position to reverse this result than Munster given the difficulties associated with playing at the Stade Marcel Michelin. Then again Thomond Park was supposed to be impregnable too.
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