THE MUNSTER INJURY list has threatened to descend into farce recently, with the ever-expanding number of players unavailable to the province reaching a level almost beyond belief over the Christmas period.
Graham Rowntree’s side are finally starting to welcome some of their wounded back but the likes of Jean Kleyn, Edwin Edogbo and Dave Kilcoyne won’t play again this season, with RG Snyman and Jack O’Donoghue among those out for an extended period.
With all that mind, Munster’s mission in Toulon yesterday looked a particularly daunting one. The province needed a result to save their Champions Cup season and against a star-studded Toulon side, that looked no easy task.
The return of both Peter O’Mahony and Niall Scannell boosted their chances significantly, almost guaranteeing their lingering lineout issues wouldn’t creep up again, but this was a test where Munster would need big performances right across the pitch.
And on a special day for the travelling Munster support in the south of France, their team delivered in a big way as they stormed to a brilliant 28-19 bonus-point win.
O’Mahony and Scannell both had strong games but it was Munster’s younger players who stepped up in impressive fashion.
Rowntree has always shown faith in his younger squad players, something which stood to Munster on their late charge to URC success last year. Now some of those faces are doing it on the European stage too.
In the second row, Tom Ahern was excellent. The 23-year-old got through a huge body of work and capped a fine display with a superbly-taken try. Getting on the end of a excellent Jack Crowley crossfield, Ahern had the power to see off the challenge of Dan Biggar before running for the tryline.
It’s becoming something of a trademark move for Ahern, who has played most of his rugby in the backrow this season but relocated to lock to accomodate the return of Peter O’Mahony.
The 6’9″, 117kg Ahern is a powerful athlete and had flourished since moving to the back row this season, starting five games at blindside flanker. Yesterday Munster came with a plan to get the most out of Ahern as he moved back to the second row, with Rowntree eager to still use the Waterford man as a threat in the wide channels.
“Obviously Tom has found a new life there on the edge of the field and we adjusted what Pete was doing in his role to accomodate that, even though Tom was playing second row and he had a big performance,” said Rowntree, who was hugely pleased to see so many of his players rise to the occasion.
Gavin Coombes was also exceptional, making a series of powerful carries and adding some nice contributions in attack.
Scrum-half Craig Casey delivered one of his best performances in a Munster shirt, managing the game smartly alongside out-half Crowley. Both half-backs were also excellent in terms of their kicking game – a Crowley chip setting up Simon Zebo’s first-half try before his crossfield set Ahern free in the second period, while Casey’s perfectly measured box-kick teed up Calvin Nash for the bonus-point score.
Toulon noticeably fatigued as the game wore on yet as they tried to find a way back into the game in the final quarter, Munster’s defensive effort was outstanding. Having become accustomed to losing late leads recently, Rowntree will have been hugely satisfied with how his players saw out the game.
While Crowley took the official player of the match award, flanker John Hodnett was arguably the pick of the bunch. Hodnett led the way with 20 tackles to go with his eight carries as the 25-year-old delivered a typically industrious performance that will do his Ireland ambitions no harm ahead of Wednesday’s Six Nations squad announcement.
“I’m glad you mentioned John Hodnett,” Rowntree said. “He’s quietly been under the radar. Very important to us.”
It’s been a testing season for Munster but this was a reminder of what they are capable of. The challenge now is to back this performance up when Northampton Saints come to Limerick next Saturday, but the win means the province can breathe a little easier as they head into the final weekend of Champions Cup action.
It was a day that will live long in the memory of those who made the journey over. It might just prove to have been the day where Munster’s season finally ignited.
