Munster Rugby
If it’s tea-time on a
Saturday, with the darkness descending forebodingly, the floodlights
illuminating Thomond Park, an English side in town, a febrile Red Army in full
voice, then it must be the Heineken Cup. And, naturally, Munster must be in
do-or-die mode.
Munster rarely make things
easy for themselves or their supporters but normally they and the tournament
organisers/Sky leave these backs-to-the-wall missions until the final round of
the pool stages.
But of late, they seemingly
like to pitch themselves into cup-tie mode from the off and, mindful that no
team has ever progressed after losing their opening two pool matches, as with
their victorious campaigns of 2005/’06 and ’07/’08 and three of the last four
seasons, they have returned to their citadel needing to overcome a first day
loss.
The backdrop is a little
more unnerving this time though. For while it’s one thing to lose in England or
France, it’s another to lose in Scotland against a team bottom of the Rabo
Pro12. The other caveat of course is that there for the first time since they
became a force in Europe, there is no Ronan O’Gara to pull the strings an kick
the goals.
In response to that
“embarrassing” defeat in Murrayfield, Rob Penney has changed half the pack by
recalling Damien Varley, BJ Botha, Donncha O’Callaghan and captain Peter
O’Mahony at the expense of Mike Sherry, Stephen Archer, Paddy Butler and James
Coughlan, with Donnacha Ryan shifting to the backrow, with all but the injured
Butler of the demoted quartet now on the bench.
Not surprisingly Johne
Murphy, replaces Simon Zebo in an otherwise unchanged backline. In truth,
Murphy was playing some of his sharpest rugby with the province in the early
games of the season and had been a little unlucky to be out of the frame,
while, as expected, Cathal Sheridan has been promoted to the bench as the
expense of Duncan Williams.
More seasoned
In their hour of need, the
net effect has been to give the Munster pack an altogether more seasoned, grizzled
and gnarled look, as well as plenty of impact off the bench. In reprising his
partnership with Paul O’Connell, Donncha O’Callaghan is the only survivor from
the Miracle Match 11 seasons ago.
Gloucester, of course, have
been here before too, and carry the scars to prove it from both that match and
a trouncing at the same venue in the ensuing season, not to mention a home
quarter-final defeat six seasons ago.
True to his stated intention
to rotate his squad for these two matches, Nigel Davies retains just three
players from last weekend’s starting line up in the win over Perpignan – Jonny
May, Ryan Mills and Mike Tindall. This means Freddy Burns is on the bench and
Billy Twelvetrees is rested.
The Cherry and Whites are
not typical of the bruising, route one rugby favoured by most of the
Premiership. But after their incisive brand of rugby saw them finish fifth last
season, they have seemingly missed the grunt up front of the retired Alex
Brown, the departed Jim Hamilton and the suspended Nick Wood, with Ben Morgan
having temporarily lost his form. But after their late escape against
Perpignan, they can afford to swing from the hip as they do.
“When the draw was made,
this one stood out and we’re looking forward to it,” said Davies. “There’s a
rich history between the two clubs. It’s a huge challenge for us. They’re
coming off the back of, what would be for them, a bad loss and I’m sure they’re
going to come out all guns blazing, which they always do at Thomond Park
anyway.”
Locked and loaded
But a dozen changes looks a
bit too much. Both mentally and physically, Munster’s performance in Edinburgh
suggested they had invested so much in their proud defeat of Leinster a week
before that there were a little empty a week later. For a team that has
traditionally always drawn from the umbilical energy with their supporters,
especially when cornered, one imagines they will be fully locked and loaded
this evening.
In time-honoured fashion,
therefore, they should have their basics in place; more cohesive and concentrated
effort at lineout time, without the malfunctions of last week, and then using
their maul off that, both as a means of extracting energy and spirit from
Gloucester, and for getting the crowd into the game. There’ll surely be more
work-rate to fill the gaps apparent in last week’s defence, and no slipping off
tackles.
Combine this with,
critically, more hard, direct running, as was evident in the two-try salvo
mid-way through the first-half last Saturday only for them then to curiously
fall away, and Munster ought to begin extricating themselves from a corner they
largely created for themselves.