Disappointed McMillan craving Munster consistency regardless of stage

Munster’s Calvin Nash dejected after the game. Pic: Andrew Conan/Inpho

It was a chilly start to 2026 for Munster and Clayton McMillan as Ulster stamped their authority all over the New Year URC derby in Belfast. 

The question remains, however, whether this was a temporary Arctic blast or a more concerning ill wind foreshadowing more troubling times.

This Sunday’s resumption of the Champions Cup pool campaign against Toulon at their Stade Felix Mayol may offer some answers, although an epic performance by the Mediterranean at the weekend will not necessarily ease the concerns of a head coach so deeply disappointed by his players’ failure to rise to the occasion of a URC derby on a deep midwinter’s night far from home.

His captain on Friday evening, Diarmuid Barron, spoke of the “pure excitement” of a return to European rugby that would follow the “bit of soul-searching” ahead of Tuesday’s review and the beginning in earnest of matchweek, but the New Zealander was peeved to say the least at the emphasis within Munster that is placed on the Champions Cup when his side had failed to throw a punch in this 28-3 loss.

“I don't like to answer those questions, because it's nights like tonight that I think are just as important to us,” McMillan said. “I've seen our ability to get up for big games, but it's the consistency of performance.

“That's one thing that I've been consistent on right from the get-go. We want to be featuring at the back end of the competition.

“We can't get excited when we're playing on a big stage in front of big crowds in the European Cup and then not show up on other nights when it's half-snowing, it's a five-, six-hour bus trip away from where we are. These are the nights where we actually need to front up, and that's what disappoints me.

“We're going to lose some games. Some days we're not going to play as pretty as we would have liked, but it doesn't make me feel good to think that we'll get excited about next week. Not at all.” 

While Munster’s soul-searching on the sofa continues before preparations for their trip to the South of France begin in earnest, Toulon have a long trip home from La Rochelle to negotiate following Sunday's 9pm kick off on the west coast at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

You sensed from the Munster boss that it was not going to be a restful three days off for anyone within his organisation as their Top 14 opponents wended their way across France on an even longer bus journey than from Belfast to Limerick.

McMillan demanded some intense reflection of where it all went wrong at Affidea Stadium last Friday night as he surveyed the wreckage of this defeat, a second derby loss inside a week following a 13-8 home reversal to Leinster.

The 6-3 half-time score did not reflect the true balance of power in what was actually a one-sided contest as Ulster dominated at scrum time and showed more adventure with ball in hand without getting their reward in that first 40 minutes.

That reward came in a third-quarter blitz that blew Munster away, a penalty from scrum-half Nathan Doak presaging tries scored by hooker Tom Stewart and replacement back Jake Flannery, his Munster academy roots adding salt to the wounds of an understrength visiting side shorn of an Ireland international quartet under IRFU player welfare protocols and much more talent besides.

That will be one of the more disappointing aspects for McMillan from this defeat, rubber-stamped with a late try from 21-year-old back-rower Bryn Ward. 

While Ulster’s rookie stand-in No.8, a son of former Ireland back row Andy Ward and whose brother Zac started on the wing, seized the opportunity of an injury to South African powerhouse Juarno Augustus with both of his giant hands, Munster’s fringe players failed to make a similar impact.

It offered, McMillan said reluctantly, more questions than answers, and the former Chiefs boss is still trying to get a handle on the quality of his squad, which will inevitably feature returns this weekend for captain Tadhg Beirne and his Ireland colleagues Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Tom Farrell.

“There's still a long way to go, and you ultimately want to be playing your best rugby at the back end of the season,” the Kiwi said.

“I think what we take comfort from is that we've played a lot of the good teams. We've played the Stormers, we've played Leinster twice, we've played Ulster now, we've played Cardiff, who are above us coming into this game. 

"Even when you go to somewhere like Bridgend and you play Ospreys, it's a tough place to go. We got a good bonus-point victory there, and then you see other teams turn up there over the weekend (Cardiff) and suffer a (33-22) loss.

“So it’s hard at the moment to get a gauge around where you actually sit, because we've certainly had good days at the office and nights like tonight where it doesn't go so well.

“We're still learning about where we actually sit, but we're honest enough to know that we're not playing the sort of rugby, anywhere near what we think we're capable of. That's why I say it starts with me, and it starts with our leadership group and the rest of the coaching group to just find some solutions, because the talent is there.”