IF MUNSTER HAD been able to call on even a couple of RG Snyman, Jean Kleyn, Oli Jager, Calvin Nash, Diarmuid Barron, Edwin Edogbo, John Ryan, Roman Salanoa, and Shane Daly, who knows?
Had they not been hit by sickness in the build-up to this defeat in Northampton, who knows?
Perhaps they would have been able to summon the energy to finish stronger in the final quarter but it’s been an issue for Munster all season. They have tended to fade away in that crucial endgame.
There was a genuine injury crisis earlier this season, partly explaining Munster’s inability to close out games during a rocky period in the winter, but every team has to deal with unavailabilities.
As Munster fans make the journey home from Northampton tonight, the most frustrating thing will probably be that this defeat had a familiar flavour. Munster had chances and the territory to win this game but they couldn’t convert often enough. Their errors invariably led to Northampton swiftly doing damage down the other end of the pitch.
Saints’ fourth try was a case in point. Munster were on the attack, Jack Crowley pulled a pass behind Jack O’Donoghue, it went to ground, and George Hendy was soon finishing emphatically in the right corner to seal the game.
14-14 at half time was a fair return after a brilliant first half in which both teams contributed to a breathtaking spectacle. Munster had some excellent build-up attack before their two tries, using clever tip passes, a few chip kicks, slick passes off the base of the ruck when it looked like they would just carry, and some direct running.
Seán O’Brien and Mike Haley finished well from close-range, but Munster had several misses in the Saints 22. In fairness, the English side were muscular in contact throughout and deserve credit for winning some of those important battles.
It felt like the third quarter was the key for Munster, that they had to nudge in front, knowing that Saints had a powerful 6/2 bench to call on. England scrum-half Alex Mitchell was ready to be sprung, the talented 21-year-old Hendy offered major impact out wide, and the sextet of forwards were big and strong.
But Munster weren’t able to apply pressure on Saints in that third quarter in part due to a couple of lineout malfunctions, including one where they didn’t even get into the air. They had already managed to dig their way out of their own 22 thanks to a Peter O’Mahony lineout steal and Tadhg Beirne’s breakdown poach.
They couldn’t deliver down the other end, though, and Saints scored from deep in their own half with a classy strike play from a lineout. It was razor-sharp from Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Sleightholme, and James Ramm to tee up Hendy’s first score, but Munster will be very disappointed to have conceded from so far out on set-piece defence.
And so, Northampton edged ahead moving into the final quarter as their superior bench offered more power than Munster could muster. Again, this has been a theme. With Ryan suspended, as well as Jager and Salanoa injured, 36-year-old Stephen Archer had to play the full 80 minutes at tighthead prop. He had some strong moments for Munster but it’s a massive ask for any front row, never mind a veteran.
Whereas teams like Northampton aren’t noticeably diminished by using their bench, Munster have been this season. At times, they’ve done their utmost to delay the arrival of some of their bench players for as long as possible.
Munster battled aggressively and passionately today. Given the illness in their squad this week, they deserve credit for pitching up so competitively. There is no shame in today’s defeat and one has to think that travelling to South Africa on Tuesday to play the Bulls at altitude in Pretoria next weekend might have resulted in a horror show. Perhaps they have been spared ignominy in that regard.
Getting knocked out in the Round of 16 for the second season running is not what Munster aspire to, but it is probably a fair reflection of the level they’re at. Yes, they’re the reigning URC champions but Munster themselves recognise that their end-of-campaign run to claim the trophy was not a reflection of the entirety of last season, which had some real lows.
Their pool-stage effort this season wasn’t of a sufficient level. Munster played excellent rugby away to Exeter for 50 minutes, then collapsed to lose. They were poor to draw at home against a weakened Bayonne in Thomond Park, and while their performance to win in Toulon was excellent, Rowntree’s men then lost at home to Saints with the pressure on. That all meant they had to go on the road for the Round of 16 against one of the top seeds and this was always going to be a big ask.
Munster need a bit more luck, for sure, but they need to be better under pressure, make fewer errors, and build a deeper squad to cover when injuries strike, as they always do in professional rugby.
The worry is that they’re losing players this summer – Snyman and Joey Carbery are definitely leaving, Antoine Frisch could join them, while the likes of Simon Zebo, Dave Kilcoyne, and Archer are out of contract. Conor Murray is sticking around for another season, but we await confirmation of Peter O’Mahony’s future.
Diarmuid Kilgallen and Billy Burns look like good signings by Rowntree and co. yet they could do with a few more reinforcements, even if money is seemingly very tight in Munster.
They now hone in on the defence of their URC title but regrets about this Champions Cup campaign might linger.
