'Special' leaders steer Munster to another special European away day

RED SUCCESS: Munster's Calvin Nash and Gavin Coombes applaud the fans after the game. Pic: Fred Porcu, Inpho

Investec Champions Cup

TOULON 18 MUNSTER 29 

A crucial victory on foreign soil when expectations were at their lowest. 

It is a familiar script for Graham Rowntree’s Munster but this was a performance that can ignite their season, just as beating the Stormers in the league in Cape Town propelled them to the URC title eight months ago.

The head coach has been telling anyone who would listen these past weeks, as victories were snatched away from his team time and again and the injuries mounted with every game, that last season’s remarkable run to a Grand Final win back in Cape Town against the Stormers would stand to his men.

On Saturday at Stade Felix Mayol it well and truly did, with a performance every bit as resilient as it was adventurous. Munster had been 10-0 down after 16 minutes, but Munster led 17-13 at half-time after two wonderfully-worked tries scored by Alex Nankivell and Simon Zebo with man of the match Jack Crowley adding two conversions and a penalty.

It was a perfect response to superb opening score from Toulon’s Duncan Paia’aua who capitalised on a searing counter-attack by right wing Jiuta Wainiqolo from inside his own 22 to the opposition 10-metre line. Zebo’s try was every bit as audacious, Crowley delivering an inch-perfect dink over the top of the Toulon line for the full-back to rush onto and score under the posts, a crowning moment for a player who is finally emerging from an injury-blighted couple of seasons and showing his best in his preferred position.

Munster kicked on after the interval, Crowley dispatching longer-range kicks for Tom Ahern and Calvin Nash to each score in the right corner, the lock ready and waiting from close to the line to receive the pinpoint delivery, the wing chasing a high ball down the line and soaring above a static Melvyn Jaminet to leave the Toulon full-back for dead and race down the touchline for the bonus-point try.

Those came either side of a Cornell du Preez try for the home side but Munster saw out the game with comfortable assurance.

And that was the difference that set this performance apart from the near-run efforts against Bayonne and Exeter Chiefs in this Champions Cup Pool 3 campaign, and Leinster and then Connacht in the URC since.

Munster have taken their medicine, fixed their flaws and are emerging from their injury crisis and all of that went into this defeat of the three-time champions in their bastion by the Mediterranean.

While less experienced shoulders, many from the academy, were asked to bear the burden of expectancy in the absence of some serious frontline experience, the comebacks from injury of centre Nankevill and fly-half replacement Joey Carbery were an impactful tonic.

What is more, they played with ambition, not cowed by the hostile atmosphere nor willing to compromise on the gameplan. This a Munster team apparently comfortable with living or dying by the sword.

“We won a trophy last season doing it, keeping the ball on the field, sticking in there, firing shots, not kicking the ball off the field, sticking to our plan,” Rowntree said.

“No, we learned a lot in those games, particularly the Connacht game. We had young ‘10’ on the field and learned about game management. They were just messy games where we couldn’t get our game on top of teams. Today we could. We had good weather. We’re a possession team, and move teams around, find space, and we showed that tonight.”

Rowntree praised his returning quartet after Munster had taken a celebratory lap around an emptying Mayol to applaud the sizeable and vocal travelling contingent of supporters in a mutual appreciation of each other’s efforts.

“Special,” the head coach said of his former captain, playing for the first time since a comeback from Ireland World Cup duty on November 18 that lasted just 40 minutes due to a shoulder injury.

“It feels different when Pete’s around. He’s a proven warrior. Within the week, he helps drive standards, helps Tadhg (Beirne) as the captain, driving standards on the field and again his actions demonstrate that.

“Niall Scannell was very good tonight. We’ve got a new plan with Niall now - one game on five months off. I’ll have to look at his contract there. No, I was delighted with him.

“Joey coming back, another calming influence around the week. Getting lads back was a real shot in the arm for us.

“Nanks is important to us both sides of the ball. A physical player, won’t accept being tackled. Very physical in the tackle. I thought some of our defence work around the breakdown, particularly early on, you saw it at the end there as well, really stood to us.”

Beirne, sitting beside Rowntree as the matchday skipper in the continuing absence of a permanent appointment to succeed O’Mahony, also credited the flanker on his return from a shoulder injury.

“I think I’ll probably lean on him more than I realise,” Beirne said. “The reality is he’s a born leader, it comes naturally to him and he speaks incredibly well to the group.

“He leads by example on the field as well, so if ever at the moment I need to turn to someone, it’s him, you know? And you know, you’ve seen it massively this week in terms of the whole week. I spoke with him many times privately and I had him speaking quite a quite a bit to the group as well, which took a lot of weight off my shoulders too.

“He’s done the role for the last 10, 11 years and as he said, he wants to be there for whoever is the next captain here. And this week it was me and he certainly was.”

RC TOULON: M Jaminet; J Wainiqolo, W Nayacalevu (S Tuicuvu, 60), D Paia’a, L Fainga’anuku; D Biggar (B Alainu’uese, 60), B White; D Priso (B Devaux, 52), C Tolofua (J Singleton, 52), K Brookes (B Gigashvili, 52); M Halagahu, D Ribbans - captain; C du Preez, S Tolofua (J Coulon, 35-40; J Sinzelle, 60), F Isa.

MUNSTER: S Zebo (S O’Brien, 72); C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell (J Carbery, 70), S Daly; J Crowley, C Casey (C Murray, 70); J Loughman (J Wycherley, 76), N Scannell (E Clarke, 76), J Ryan (S Archer, 65); T Ahern, T Beirne - captain; P O’Mahony (A Kendellen, 63), J Hodnett, G Coombes (B Gleeson, 77).

Referee: Nika Amakusheli (Georgia)