MUNSTER COACH CLAYTON McMillan cut a forlorn but humble figure as he tried to make sense of his team’s 45-0 hammering at the hands of the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
“We were fairly even in several areas but not in the one that mattered — the scoreboard where the Sharks deserved their big victory because they were ruthless in converting opportunities into points,” the New Zealander said.
“You are going to have good days at the office, and then you are going to have days like this. It is about how we as individuals and a collective respond.
“We are still in South Africa and head off to Cape Town to prepare for the Bulls — we saw how impressive they were on Friday night (in hammering Cardiff), so we are under no illusions about the challenges directly in front of us, so we can either shy away from it or work towards it.”
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The Munster bench looks on in dismay. Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO
Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO / Darren Stewart/INPHO
McMillan said his players were licking their wounds.
There is a lot of hurt in the changing room, but that must manifest into something we can be proud of when we travel to the Bulls.
The key to Munster’s heavy defeat was their inability to compete in the set pieces, notably the scrums.
“Both in the lineout and the scrum we got little on our terms and credit to the Sharks for the pressure they exerted in those areas,” McMillan said with understatement.
“The lineout is about a combination of a lot of areas going well. Not taking a lot away from the Sharks, we tended to take wrong options that gave them the ability to compete.
“You are asking a lot when you are trying to throw between two pods, so we will have to look at that.
Our lineout had been functioning well through the season, so it is a disappointment that it did not happen tonight, but we must give credit to the pressure the Sharks exerted.
The Sharks dominated the lineout in Durban. Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO
Steve Haag Sports / Darren Stewart/INPHO / Darren Stewart/INPHO
Munster would have felt they were still in it at half-time.
“In the modern game, 12-0 is not a heck of a lot. The Sharks had been dominant, but we did not feel the score was insurmountable.
“Our set piece was under pressure, and our discipline was not where it needed to be, and those two things gifted them chances to exert pressure through their power game, which they did very well.
“The Sharks were off the scale in their return of reward for ventures into our 22, and we have to take a hard look at how desperate we are to defend our line.”
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'We tended to take wrong options': McMillan looks to lineout and scrum as Munster buckle in Durban
MUNSTER COACH CLAYTON McMillan cut a forlorn but humble figure as he tried to make sense of his team’s 45-0 hammering at the hands of the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
“We were fairly even in several areas but not in the one that mattered — the scoreboard where the Sharks deserved their big victory because they were ruthless in converting opportunities into points,” the New Zealander said.
“You are going to have good days at the office, and then you are going to have days like this. It is about how we as individuals and a collective respond.
“We are still in South Africa and head off to Cape Town to prepare for the Bulls — we saw how impressive they were on Friday night (in hammering Cardiff), so we are under no illusions about the challenges directly in front of us, so we can either shy away from it or work towards it.”
McMillan said his players were licking their wounds.
The key to Munster’s heavy defeat was their inability to compete in the set pieces, notably the scrums.
“Both in the lineout and the scrum we got little on our terms and credit to the Sharks for the pressure they exerted in those areas,” McMillan said with understatement.
“The lineout is about a combination of a lot of areas going well. Not taking a lot away from the Sharks, we tended to take wrong options that gave them the ability to compete.
“You are asking a lot when you are trying to throw between two pods, so we will have to look at that.
Munster would have felt they were still in it at half-time.
“In the modern game, 12-0 is not a heck of a lot. The Sharks had been dominant, but we did not feel the score was insurmountable.
“Our set piece was under pressure, and our discipline was not where it needed to be, and those two things gifted them chances to exert pressure through their power game, which they did very well.
“The Sharks were off the scale in their return of reward for ventures into our 22, and we have to take a hard look at how desperate we are to defend our line.”
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