MUNSTER COACH CLAYTON McMillan praised a much-improved effort from his players after their narrow 31-34 defeat at the hands of United Rugby Championship powerhouses the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.
On a sweltering day at altitude, against a team peppered with Springboks and World Cup winners, Munster claimed two important points and lifted spirits after their lacklustre showing against the Sharks in Durban last weekend.
Thanks to the game-management of excellent half-back Craig Casey and Jack Crowley, Munster won the aerial battle and enjoyed 61% of territory, while they were also consistently threatening on attack, outscoring the Bulls by five tries to four.
In the end it came down to the boot of double World Cup winner Handre Pollard, who succeeded with six-out-of-six kicks at goal, including two vital long-range second-half penalties, while Crowley crucially missed two conversions, the second of which came off the post.
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“We always want to win, but that’s not easy in South Africa against very good quality teams, but our effort was significantly improved, which gave us the opportunity to win. The Bulls were just a little bit better when it mattered,” McMillan said.
Munster captain Craig Casey. Steve Haag Sports / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO
Steve Haag Sports / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO
“There was a lot to like from everybody, but Craig and Jack in particular had really good days. They were able to sprinkle their stardust, having come in when the mood was pretty low after we were humped by the Sharks. Their energy was really good.
“We were badly exposed last week and the players did not take kindly to that. It was a real bone-deep effort today and we dealt with our challenges, like a lot of HIAs, much better. So there were a lot of positives, we’re pleased about the two log points because the top eight is really congested and that was good reward for our effort.”
The Bulls are a powerful set-piece side and Munster’s determination was shown clearly in the scrums and lineouts.
“Because of the HIAs, we had to use our bench earlier. I was really proud at scrum time, there were a couple of bad ones early on, but we did not allow the Bulls to take advantage of their weight, we got good hits in and a good low position. We lost a hooker early and there were a number of quite disruptive things for our lineout, it was not perfect but it was a lot better than last week.”
Munster head coach Clayton McMillan. Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO
Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO / Darren Stewart/INPHO
The much-improved showing and the return to something more closely resembling their best XV is why McMillan is positive about Munster’s playoff hopes.
“This is a good crossroads in the season and we will reap the benefits of being away together as a team. There are still good players who are at home waiting to become available and we’ll be going back with good energy. We have four matches left, two at home, one down the road at Connacht and Benetton in Italy.
“It’s just honesty that turns things around. We know what we are capable of when we are somewhere near our best, when we are physically and mentally there, then we can beat the best. But when we are slightly off, then we can get hurt badly. But the boys took last week on the chin and they have taken responsibility.”
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'It was a real bone-deep effort' - Casey and Crowley help lift Munster against Bulls
MUNSTER COACH CLAYTON McMillan praised a much-improved effort from his players after their narrow 31-34 defeat at the hands of United Rugby Championship powerhouses the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.
On a sweltering day at altitude, against a team peppered with Springboks and World Cup winners, Munster claimed two important points and lifted spirits after their lacklustre showing against the Sharks in Durban last weekend.
Thanks to the game-management of excellent half-back Craig Casey and Jack Crowley, Munster won the aerial battle and enjoyed 61% of territory, while they were also consistently threatening on attack, outscoring the Bulls by five tries to four.
In the end it came down to the boot of double World Cup winner Handre Pollard, who succeeded with six-out-of-six kicks at goal, including two vital long-range second-half penalties, while Crowley crucially missed two conversions, the second of which came off the post.
“We always want to win, but that’s not easy in South Africa against very good quality teams, but our effort was significantly improved, which gave us the opportunity to win. The Bulls were just a little bit better when it mattered,” McMillan said.
“There was a lot to like from everybody, but Craig and Jack in particular had really good days. They were able to sprinkle their stardust, having come in when the mood was pretty low after we were humped by the Sharks. Their energy was really good.
“We were badly exposed last week and the players did not take kindly to that. It was a real bone-deep effort today and we dealt with our challenges, like a lot of HIAs, much better. So there were a lot of positives, we’re pleased about the two log points because the top eight is really congested and that was good reward for our effort.”
The Bulls are a powerful set-piece side and Munster’s determination was shown clearly in the scrums and lineouts.
“Because of the HIAs, we had to use our bench earlier. I was really proud at scrum time, there were a couple of bad ones early on, but we did not allow the Bulls to take advantage of their weight, we got good hits in and a good low position. We lost a hooker early and there were a number of quite disruptive things for our lineout, it was not perfect but it was a lot better than last week.”
The much-improved showing and the return to something more closely resembling their best XV is why McMillan is positive about Munster’s playoff hopes.
“This is a good crossroads in the season and we will reap the benefits of being away together as a team. There are still good players who are at home waiting to become available and we’ll be going back with good energy. We have four matches left, two at home, one down the road at Connacht and Benetton in Italy.
“It’s just honesty that turns things around. We know what we are capable of when we are somewhere near our best, when we are physically and mentally there, then we can beat the best. But when we are slightly off, then we can get hurt badly. But the boys took last week on the chin and they have taken responsibility.”
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Clayton McMillan Munster Reaction Rugby URC