Munster’s Champions Cup last 16 hopes went up in flames last evening with Castres coming to Thomond Park and inflicting a 31-29 defeat on the men in red. This performance was very syntagmatic of Munster over recent times and again showed up the issues in particular at the line out and poor place kicking as well as some questionable kicking out of hand….
In defence also Munster were out foxed and the blitz style defence just didn’t cut the mustard. This type of defence was first employed under Rassie Erasmus when he and Jacques Nienber were involved with Munster almost 9 years ago now. Denis Leamy now looks after the defence and he will look back today at how easily they were broken through on several occasions.
This has been an issue along with poor execution at line out time and scrum trouble that seemed to stabilise last night but just as one element seemed to be coming right then another part of the game plan malfunctions, it like a dripping tap that you can’t seem to find the solution to fix.
A first win for Castres in Limerick came at the best time for them and the worst time from a Munster point of view. This win has put Castres into the last 16 of the Champions Cup and it relegated Munster to a place in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup which won’t be much consolation at this moment in time.
Unfortunately whatever way you slice it, 1 win from 4 isn’t good enough in any competition and the manner of the loss last night coupled with last weekend will sting of course but it is imperative for Munster to find a way to solve the issues as they are back in URC action next weekend and will be without a number of players who will be in with Ireland preparing for the upcoming 6 Nations campaign that will begin on Thursday February 5th.
Jack Crowley will look back on some of his place kicking and know that it simply wasn’t good enough and the two missed conversions were so costly when you do up the maths at full time. He will know himself that it isn’t acceptable to miss crucial kicks when the pressure is on. Those two missed chances were contributing factors to the defeat but not the only reasons.
Of course, the problems at the line out also cost Munster and it again cracked when you need it to stand up and when it came to the crunch, the line out just crumbled. Some of the calling and movement was so predictable that it was easy for Castres to pick off a number of line outs as well as put real pressure on the rest of them that they didn’t pick off.
The trouble in the line out has being an ongoing issue over an extended period of time and will need serious surgery to solve the issues that have dogged them since last season.
Some of the attacking play was great from Munster and showed yet again that if they can get the trouble up front and in defence sorted they certainly have the firepower to hurt teams. As I say they have secured European rugby for April by squeezing into the last 16 of the Challenge Cup and will be on their travels in that game. They will find out who they will face this evening (Sunday).
That fact they have a place in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup will be scant consolation today but certainly offers redemption to Munster who will know that 1 win from 4 in unacceptable in the Champions Cup Pool phase.
Like 2011 the last time Munster were in the Challenge Cup where they were away to Brive and won on that day in a high scoring contest. They welcomed Harlequins to Limerick in the Semi Final and were beaten in another exciting contest.
The loss will be hard to stomach for the Munster faithful and the early season momentum has evaporated but what the place in the Challenge Cup does offer is a road to redemption for this group and they are still in the URC shake up so it is time to dust themselves off and go into the Dragons game and Glasgow game with renewed focus and hunger to right the wrongs of recent weeks…