McMillan wants Munster to feel the pain after underperformance ends URC campaign
Munster's Jack O'Donoghue dejected after the match. Pic ©INPHO/Darren Stewart
Munster coach Clayton McMillan lamented several soft moments that gave the Bulls momentum before halftime in their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal, leading to a comprehensive defeat.
The Bulls won 45-14 and will face Glasgow in the semi-finals, while Munster will have to review their season unemotionally.
But under the Pretoria sun they wilted against a team that took their chances and built their stall on a rock solid set piece and accurate tactical kicking foundation.
A mighty scrum and some brilliant backline play from the likes of scrumhalf Embrose Papier, fullback Willie le Roux and wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, saw the Bulls run amok.
The final tally of six tries to two tells its own story, although the Bulls butchered at least three more. The gulf between the teams was vast.
The Bulls also had to contend with losing giant tighthead Wilco Louw to illness hours before kick-off, but it mattered little.
The home team’s pack bossed the scrums while the Bulls wings ruled the air.
“We were under a huge amount of pressure, and they got up to 14-0 within the space of 10 minutes, but really proud of the way that we stuck in the fight and worked our way back into the game,” McMillan said.
“But we had to work extremely hard for those 14 points, and that 10 minutes before halftime, a penalty, and then two relatively soft tries, in my opinion, without taking anything away from the Bulls.
“Those are the moments in the games that can swing big games, finals, in your favour.”
Munster had the bulk of territory and possession before halftime, but the Bulls were much more clinical with the ball they had.
By halftime the home team had scored four tries as they broke the Munster defensive line almost at will when they did attack.
There was a frank discussion at halftime and despite a better showing after halftime, the Bulls still managed two more tries in the third quarter to end the match as a contest.
Scrumhalf Embrose Papier was superb, scoring two of those tries including an 85-metre intercept off an inside pass from Craig Casey.
Veteran fullback Le Roux provided touches of genius as a playmaker, setting up two tries for wings Arendse and Stravino Jacobs while the pack dominated scrums and close contact.
“In the sheds, Craig told the team they’ve got to remember these moments when there’s a little bit of pain and that pain has to stick with you for a while,” McMillan said.
“One question I'll ask the group is where's that pain come from? Does it come from outcome or performance?
“I would suggest, without putting words into his (Craig’s) mouth, it’s mostly about performance. We didn’t play to the level that we know we’re capable of playing today, regardless of who put the jersey on.
“You can accept losing against good sides, but when you don’t put your best foot forward, that’s the bit that hurts.”
At 14-0 down in no time, Munster were up against it. But they showed the same resilience that they displayed in March when they were last at Loftus, and bounced back with two tries either side of a Handre Pollard penalty.
O’Donoghue finished off a period of sustained Munster pressure inside the Bulls 22, which led to three separate penalty advantages.
The Bulls were fortunate not to concede a yellow card in that passage of play as referee Andrea Piardi took a lenient view.
Later Nankivell finished off Munster’s second try after a similar build-up.
From the restart to Nankivell’s score, and only three points in it, Munster were penalised for holding the ball on the ground.
From the lineout that followed, the Bulls scored their third try through hooker Johan Grobbelaar, who brushed aside some feeble defence.
Minutes later it was No 8 Cameron Hanekom, who swept around the back of lineout to stampede his way to the line for the Bulls’ fourth try.
“Our attack did cause a few problems at times and then we got back to 17-14,” Casey said.
“It was just our unforced errors that let them back into the game. But I don’t want to take anything away from the Bulls. They capitalised fully on that. We worked hard for our scores, they probably didn’t work as hard for their scores.”
McMillan said they would take stock in due course.
“Everything’s just a little bit raw, you don’t, the reflection time will come over the next six weeks before we come back and start pre-season again,” the coach added.
“We’ve had our challenges like everybody has, we’ve had good moments, and moments we wish we could take back.
“One of the things, I think we’ve got a team here who has a big ceiling that we are nowhere near yet.”
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