IT WAS A deflating weekend for three of the four Irish provinces as Munster, Ulster and Connacht all saw the axe fall on their European Cup seasons for another year.
With Leinster still fighting it out on two fronts, the other Irish sides must now concentrate on picking themselves up quickly in order to avoid further disappointment in the URC.
Here’s how Munster, Ulster and Connacht are shaping up ahead of the two final rounds of regular season URC fixtures, which take place on the weekends of 14-16 and 21-23 April.
Munster
Having limped out of the Champions Cup at the round of 16 stage, Munster must now ensure they don’t allow the disappointment of Saturday’s loss at Sharks carry into their final games of the URC regular season.
The province currently sit fifth in the URC table but have a difficult run-in ahead of them, heading back to South Africa for games against the Stormers (2nd in URC table) and Sharks (8th).
Given how Graham Rowntree’s side struggled to deal with the conditions in Durban last weekend, they appear two daunting fixtures. Lose those games, and Munster could miss out on Champions Cup qualification and be booked in for the URC quarter-final trip nobody wants – Leinster away.
Having boasted a strong defensive record for much of the season, across their last three games – Scarlets (home), Glasgow (home) and Sharks (away) – Munster have leaked 18 tries and a total of 130 points, while their breakdown work and discipline have also come under scrutiny. Munster must address those concerning lapses that have creeped into their performances if they are to take anything from their return to South Africa later this month.
There were always going to be bumps on the road across Graham Rowntree’s first season as head coach but the timing of their current dip could hardly be worse and threatens to undo much of the promise the Munster boss has pointed to.
Munster were slow to build momentum under Rowntree and his new coaching team and while there have been signs of progress across the campaign, notably around their attacking game, too many familiar issues continue to creep up across a squad which still needs further investment. The most jarring aspect of the Glasgow defeat was just how tepid Munster looked without senior players there to set the tone, while they made far too many basic errors against the Sharks.
Nobody was expecting Munster to win silverware this year, but they now face the very real prospect of finishing below their three provincial rivals in the URC table (Connacht trail them by just four points with a kinder run-in) and having no Champions Cup to look forward to next season. However the close of this campaign plays out, there is still much work to do.
Ulster
The most disappointing thing about Ulster’s defeat at Leinster last Saturday was just how easy it all was for the home side. While Ulster made a decent start at Aviva Stadium and scored two excellent tries, Leinster never looked like letting the game slip once Ryan Baird raced over with 20 minutes on the clock.
Dan McFarland can point to the 14 Grand Slam winners in Leinster’s squad but must also take responsibility for his own team’s shortcomings. The Ulster pack were totally outmuscled and the visitors needed to be more ambitious in possession if they were spring a shock against the tournament favourites.
The result signaled the end of an utterly underwhelming European campaign for Ulster, the province bowing out in the round of 16 having won only one of their four pool games.
To give Ulster some credit, they managed to keep their season on track following the desperate mid-campaign slump, where other sides might have allowed things to peter out. Sitting third in the URC table, and with two home games against Dragons and Edinburgh on the cards, they are well-placed to secure a home quarter-final and can still finish strongly in the URC.
Yet given the nature of their performance against Leo Cullen’s side, Ulster will need to do something special in the league to convince supporters that they are indeed closing the gap on Leinster. McFarland has done a good job at the Kingspan but if they don’t make a proper charge at the URC, it will just feel like more of the same at the business end of the season from a squad that are capable of achieving more.
Connacht
Another European season came to another disappointing end for Connacht as the province bowed out with a 41-19 Challenge Cup defeat away to Benetton. In truth, the damage was done with the January loss away to Newcastle – who are rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table – a result which saw the province miss out on home advantage for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Results like that only add to the sense Connacht have never fully embraced the Challenge Cup, which is a shame given it is a competition they could realistically target for success. Given the odds are stacked against them winning a Champions Cup or URC title in the near future, it feels a missed opportunity to end the Andy Friend era on a high.
It’s been a messy season for the western province. Back in November, Friend announced he would be moving on in the summer, speculation about Bundee Aki’s future surfaced after Christmas and it’s been an open secret that a number of senior players will depart at the end of the season.
Despite the upheaval and uncertainty, Connacht managed to piece together a strong run of form after a horribly challenging start to the season which saw them play back-to-back away games in South Africa either side of three interpro derbies. Before the Benetton game, Friend’s side had won nine of their last 12 in all competitions and were playing some excellent rugby.
In the URC, they are sixth with games against Cardiff (home) and fourth-placed Glasgow (away) on the horizon.
Unlike Munster and Ulster’s Champions Cup exits, it’s possible Connacht won’t be too scarred by the end of their Challenge Cup run. They can still make the URC knockout rounds and qualify for the Champions Cup. Achieve those goals, and it will leave the province in a good place ahead of the post-Friend summer reset.
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