MUNSTER CERTAINLY WEREN’T lacking in motivation as they prepared to make the trip up to Croke Park.
The game came just days after Andy Farrell named an Ireland squad in which only four Munster men made the cut alongside 21 Leinster players. That Farrell was happy to make his selections before this interpro derby had been played suggests even those which some might feel should be closer calls might not actually be all that close in the Ireland head coach’s mind.
Either way, any perceived injustice worked in Munster’s favour as they delivered a statement performance against the reigning URC champions, toppling Leinster 31-14 with a magnificently rounded display – defending like dogs while swooping for four tries. Post-game, the away team didn’t hide the source of their motivation. Shane Daly said Munster had set out to “make a statement to the league and to Irish rugby.”
They certainly did just that. As Leo Cullen spoke of his players not being as hungry as their opponents, a Munster dressing room bristling with players frustrated to end up on the wrong side of Farrell’s thinking celebrated a famous win.
Daly might include himself in that bracket. He played just 21 minutes before injury cut short his chance with Ireland A last February, and then missed out on Ireland’s summer tour to Portugal and Georgia.
So too Gavin Coombes, who has become the poster-boy of some Munster supporters’ frustration with an Ireland side which boasts an increasingly blue hue. Coombes left the famous field fist-pumping to the away support after his monster 51-minute shift – in which he squeezed in 18 tackles – ended with a late yellow card. Coombes’ own internal fire may have been further stoked by Clayton McMillan feeling he was better utilised off the bench, with Brian Gleeson preferred as the starting number eight. Gleeson’s selection looked justified before he was forced off with an arm injury in the first half.
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Munster's Gavin Coombes. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
In the Munster midfield, Tom Farrell capped another busy display with a superbly-taken try, collecting Jack Crowley’s clever chip. Fineen Wycherley worked tirelessly in the Munster second row, leading their 267 tackles with 20. Craig Casey’s absence at scrum-half could have been an issue but Ethan Coughlan was superb. Summer signing Dan Kelly is already doing enough to suggest he might be worth taking a look at in green.
And this was achieved against Leinster’s shining Test stars, who couldn’t rise to the challenge. In fact, on this occasion, you could point to Munster as the side most hampered by those not on the pitch. Casey, Tom Ahern, Calvin Nash, Alex Kendellen, Mike Haley and John Hodnett were among the unavailable players who could have added to the Munster 23.
Munster were able to do the job without them, and any midweek Ireland frustrations washed off in the Dublin rain as the elation of a brilliant team effort took over.
“Look, it’s a tough time for those who were hoping to be in there (Ireland squad),” said Munster captain Tadhg Beirne, who revealed he had been recovering from elbow surgery following the Lions tour.
“But they have to look at these kinds of games as opportunities to put in a performance, to ask questions, and get in the minds of the selectors of the Irish team going forward after this.
“The sport is full of rollercoasters and it’s tough not to be selected, but it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be selected in the future, so you have to brush yourself off as quickly as possible, just like you do after a loss, and put in performances to make the decision unbelievably difficult for the selectors going forward.”
“That’s the only thing they can do,” added Munster head coach Clayton McMillan.
Munster head coach Clayton McMillan with his family after the game. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“Like Tadhg said, the decisions have been made now, we get right in behind the whole Irish squad, particularly our guys that have been selected. We’ll soldier on and hopefully let our performances speak for themselves, and as Tadhg said, somewhere down the road, hopefully that’s rewarded in selection.
“But the (Ireland) squad has been named, the disappointment has been felt, and we’ll celebrate tonight.”
As much as Munster will have enjoyed Saturday, they’ll also be acutely aware the next challenge is to reach such highs on a more consistent basis. Their two standout players against Leinster, Beirne and Crowley, will be away on Ireland duty when Connacht visit Thomond Park this weekend.
“That’s why you applaud teams like Leinster, who continue to win and keep finding a way to win, and they stay on the top of the heap,” said McMillan.
“That’s not an easy thing to do. We’ve found a little bit of a way at the moment, but we’ve got to find other ways to keep getting better and to get closer to that level. Again, it’s a good night, but we’re far from the finished product. I think we’ve got a big ceiling. We just keep working every day to try and get closer to it.”
With four wins from four in the URC, it’s all going to plan for the new Munster boss. Beirne’s reintegration into the squad was delayed by his post-Lions surgery, but the Kildare man says there was a different feel around the group when he first stepped into McMillan’s new era.
“The vibe around the place, it’s brilliant. People are enjoying it, Clayton himself has brought that good – I hate using the word culture, but I suppose it is a different type of culture than probably what we had over the last year, it’s been brilliant.
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“He’s obviously brought great people with him, with Vercs and Brad, they’ve brought a lot of energy to the group, and everything that I’ve been involved with so far has been really enjoyable, and I think you can see that within the group.
“We’ve used a lot of players over the last couple of games, and lads have gotten opportunities, and we’re winning as well, which helps, so everything is positive.”
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Ireland frustration helps fuel Munster's statement showing in Croke Park
MUNSTER CERTAINLY WEREN’T lacking in motivation as they prepared to make the trip up to Croke Park.
The game came just days after Andy Farrell named an Ireland squad in which only four Munster men made the cut alongside 21 Leinster players. That Farrell was happy to make his selections before this interpro derby had been played suggests even those which some might feel should be closer calls might not actually be all that close in the Ireland head coach’s mind.
Either way, any perceived injustice worked in Munster’s favour as they delivered a statement performance against the reigning URC champions, toppling Leinster 31-14 with a magnificently rounded display – defending like dogs while swooping for four tries. Post-game, the away team didn’t hide the source of their motivation. Shane Daly said Munster had set out to “make a statement to the league and to Irish rugby.”
They certainly did just that. As Leo Cullen spoke of his players not being as hungry as their opponents, a Munster dressing room bristling with players frustrated to end up on the wrong side of Farrell’s thinking celebrated a famous win.
Daly might include himself in that bracket. He played just 21 minutes before injury cut short his chance with Ireland A last February, and then missed out on Ireland’s summer tour to Portugal and Georgia.
So too Gavin Coombes, who has become the poster-boy of some Munster supporters’ frustration with an Ireland side which boasts an increasingly blue hue. Coombes left the famous field fist-pumping to the away support after his monster 51-minute shift – in which he squeezed in 18 tackles – ended with a late yellow card. Coombes’ own internal fire may have been further stoked by Clayton McMillan feeling he was better utilised off the bench, with Brian Gleeson preferred as the starting number eight. Gleeson’s selection looked justified before he was forced off with an arm injury in the first half.
In the Munster midfield, Tom Farrell capped another busy display with a superbly-taken try, collecting Jack Crowley’s clever chip. Fineen Wycherley worked tirelessly in the Munster second row, leading their 267 tackles with 20. Craig Casey’s absence at scrum-half could have been an issue but Ethan Coughlan was superb. Summer signing Dan Kelly is already doing enough to suggest he might be worth taking a look at in green.
And this was achieved against Leinster’s shining Test stars, who couldn’t rise to the challenge. In fact, on this occasion, you could point to Munster as the side most hampered by those not on the pitch. Casey, Tom Ahern, Calvin Nash, Alex Kendellen, Mike Haley and John Hodnett were among the unavailable players who could have added to the Munster 23.
Munster were able to do the job without them, and any midweek Ireland frustrations washed off in the Dublin rain as the elation of a brilliant team effort took over.
“Look, it’s a tough time for those who were hoping to be in there (Ireland squad),” said Munster captain Tadhg Beirne, who revealed he had been recovering from elbow surgery following the Lions tour.
“But they have to look at these kinds of games as opportunities to put in a performance, to ask questions, and get in the minds of the selectors of the Irish team going forward after this.
“The sport is full of rollercoasters and it’s tough not to be selected, but it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be selected in the future, so you have to brush yourself off as quickly as possible, just like you do after a loss, and put in performances to make the decision unbelievably difficult for the selectors going forward.”
“That’s the only thing they can do,” added Munster head coach Clayton McMillan.
“Like Tadhg said, the decisions have been made now, we get right in behind the whole Irish squad, particularly our guys that have been selected. We’ll soldier on and hopefully let our performances speak for themselves, and as Tadhg said, somewhere down the road, hopefully that’s rewarded in selection.
“But the (Ireland) squad has been named, the disappointment has been felt, and we’ll celebrate tonight.”
As much as Munster will have enjoyed Saturday, they’ll also be acutely aware the next challenge is to reach such highs on a more consistent basis. Their two standout players against Leinster, Beirne and Crowley, will be away on Ireland duty when Connacht visit Thomond Park this weekend.
“That’s why you applaud teams like Leinster, who continue to win and keep finding a way to win, and they stay on the top of the heap,” said McMillan.
“That’s not an easy thing to do. We’ve found a little bit of a way at the moment, but we’ve got to find other ways to keep getting better and to get closer to that level. Again, it’s a good night, but we’re far from the finished product. I think we’ve got a big ceiling. We just keep working every day to try and get closer to it.”
With four wins from four in the URC, it’s all going to plan for the new Munster boss. Beirne’s reintegration into the squad was delayed by his post-Lions surgery, but the Kildare man says there was a different feel around the group when he first stepped into McMillan’s new era.
“The vibe around the place, it’s brilliant. People are enjoying it, Clayton himself has brought that good – I hate using the word culture, but I suppose it is a different type of culture than probably what we had over the last year, it’s been brilliant.
“He’s obviously brought great people with him, with Vercs and Brad, they’ve brought a lot of energy to the group, and everything that I’ve been involved with so far has been really enjoyable, and I think you can see that within the group.
“We’ve used a lot of players over the last couple of games, and lads have gotten opportunities, and we’re winning as well, which helps, so everything is positive.”
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