Tide turns as English clubs feel pain but no gain
At least the Tigers have an opportunity to right the wrongs of a dismal performance in Limerick when they return to Welford Road for the return with Munster this Sunday.
That should be something to look forward to at one of the English game’s most intimidating arenas, particularly given Leicester’s ability to turn things around 12 months ago after a 38-0 hammering by the men in Red but on Saturday Youngs was in no mood for talking things up.
“You guys can write about it that it’s set up nicely, the Tigers hooker said. “We can go back and swear about it, talk about it and get things done next week and be ready for the weekend.”
Like Wasps at La Rochelle on Sunday, Leicester held their hands up and admitted they had come up woefully short on foreign soil but both have a shot at redemption in front of their own supporters at opposite ends of the M69 in the Midlands this weekend.
Sorry Northampton Saints and Harlequins, however, must hit the road to atone for their inadequacies at home with unenviable trips to, respectively, a rejuvenated Ospreys and an Ulster side back in the hunt for pool qualification and looking forward to the raw comforts of Ravenhill on Friday night.
Pity too, poor Exeter, the English champions and clear leaders of the current campaign table, who must travel to the Aviva Stadium this Saturday after being schooled by Leinster at Sandy Park in the art of patience and application by a side which looks ready to return once more to the European top table.
Indeed, while English clubs suffered it was a tremendous weekend for the Irish, with Connacht’s Challenge Cup victory in France at Brive completing a clean sweep for the provinces in Europe.
In different ways and varying conditions, the four Irish teams completed their objectives with aplomb, mastering their opponents both tactically and emotionally with accuracy, execution and high intensity.
To have Leinster, Munster and Connacht unbeaten after three rounds while Ulster have a single blemish on their record is nothing short of remarkable.
Certainly, the Champions Cup campaigns, following on from last season’s semi-final appearances by Leinster and Munster, signify something of a resurgence for the Irish which belies the perceived stranglehold by the French and English.
That is what this reconstructed tournament was supposed to deliver when the TOP 14 and Premiership exercised its financial clout and wrested control of Europe’s premier knockout competition from the unions ahead of the 2014/2015, signalling the demise of the Heineken Cup and a shift away from Celtic influence over Champions Cup governance.
That was evident when the first Champions Cup final was staged at Twickenham rather than the former organisers’ intention to take the showpiece for the first time to Italy in Milan and it has certainly worked out that way on the field with no Guinness PRO12 teams in the three finals to date.
The English blank at the weekend was compounded after Saracens suffered a heavy home defeat at the hands of an impressive looking Clermont Auvergne, last evening, leaving Saracens with a very tough job of turning things around.
One can only hope from an Irish point of view that the tide has begun to turn back the other way.
Having failed to hammer home their superiority with a win at Welford Road 12 months ago, Munster’s desire to get the job done and do the double over Leicester this season will be one of the driving forces behind this week’s preparations for the return leg.
The Tigers, then under Richard Cockerill and Aaron Mauger’s dysfunctional coaching double act, somehow resurrected their hopes by turning a 38-0 humiliation into an 18-16 home win a week later, thanks to late, late penalty from Owen Williams.
This time around, with Matt O’Connor now in charge, their resolve to set the record straight after a similarly abject performance at Thomond Park will be aided by the expected returns of Test-standard midfielders Manu Tuilagi and Matt Toomua and a sense of injustice at the way they thought referee Jerome Garces allowed Munster to push the limits of legality at the breakdown.
That his players failed to play the referee as well as the home side made O’Connor’s comments about Munster’s cynical play sound a little like sour grapes although he was actually complimentary of Johann van Graan’s new charges’ ability to do what the Tigers had failed to do.
Not for nothing did the newspaper describe the Tigers’ performance at the weekend as “embarrassing” but if that headline will be plastered onto the training ground walls this week as a primary motivator, it will be Munster’s memories of a year ago that will light a fire under the province at their High Performance Centre. That is something that should not be underestimated.
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