FOR SO MUCH of last night’s game, it looked as though Ulster were on the verge of an unusual hat-trick.
Having beaten Leinster in the RDS for just the second time this century, followed by a first victory on French soil since 2016, it seemed inevitable that a third significant scalp would be added to their list.
Munster haven’t lost in Thomond Park this season. They rarely lose here any year. But last night they lost Simon Zebo to a red card on 14 minutes and threatened to lose their way entirely.
They were seven points down after eight minutes, 10-6 behind at half-time, 13-6 in arrears as the game entered the final quarter. Then Kieran Treadwell needlessly picked up a yellow and the tone changed, Mike Haley getting the try which gave Munster belief, Alex Kendellen the score that provided them with the win.
For Dan McFarland there is regret. Losing John Cooney, their talismanic scrum-half to a 24th minute injury was a blow – he’s a major doubt now for Ulster’s European game against Northampton next weekend – but that wasn’t the decisive moment in McFarland’s eyes.
“I thought Nathan (Doak, Cooney’s replacement) did a pretty good job,” McFarland said. “Control was difficult for the nines because the breakdown was so messy. They were causing pressure on our ball, counter-rucking and it was difficult for Nathan in there.
“I didn’t think we’d have trouble in the set-piece but that wasn’t where we lost the game. A little bit of smarts, that was a factor. You could argue we lost some sharpness (having been inactive for two weekends in a row) but I’m not convinced.
“We’re mature enough to have been better at doing things (like game management).
“It wasn’t that we needed to switch from Plan A to Plan B. Tactically we were right, strategically they were right. It was in the execution of the tactics that we got it wrong.
“Whether it was choosing to do it one way or another. That’s an area of the game we are developing, our ability to make those nuanced decisions in the moment. The strategy that the guys are employing in the second-half was working for us. We just needed to persist with it and make sure we did correctly.”
These defeats tend to hurt. After all it is eight years since Ulster last won in Limerick. Early in McFarland’s reign they shipped a 57-point defeat here. For all their progress since, most of their players still haven’t posted a Thomond Park victory on their CV.
“It’s very tough to take,” said McFarland. “The conditions made it difficult to move the ball with any width, so that evened up things when you consider the fact they had a winger missing.
“We did pretty well with the territory stuff in the second half but then we lost our way a bit on two or three occasions and it resulted in them getting the ball in our half.
“Rugby is littered with games like this, one team with their backs to the wall with 14 men, who end up turning it around and winning because they’re galvanised by the loss. And unfortunately, we’re on the end of that scenario.
“It’s so difficult to come down here and win. That was our opportunity and we let it slip.”
Whatever about being galvanised by losing Simon Zebo to a red card, Munster were certainly energised by Kieran Treadwell’s departure for ten minutes in the second half with a yellow. In the Ulster lock’s absence, Haley scored and the tone of the game turned.
“Winning the middle third was huge for us,” said McFarland, “and one of the things you can’t do is give penalties away in the middle third, because that gives access. When you lose a forward in conditions like that and offer them the opportunity to do what they want to do, you’re going to end up suffering, aren’t you?”
Also suffering were Cooney and James Hume, who each picked up knocks. “We’ll find out more in the next 48 hours on what the issue is there,” said McFarland.
