CHRIS FARRELL ADMITTED yesterday there have been some tough conversations within the Munster squad in the wake of their disappointing United Rugby Championship defeat to a fringe Leinster team at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday.
Coming into the game needing a win to guarantee a home quarter-final at the end of the inaugural URC season, Johann van Graan’s charges proceeded to deliver a below-par performance that ultimately saw them losing out on a final score of 35-25. With his side already guaranteed top spot in the final standings, the Leinster 23 that Leo Cullen selected for this game bore little or no resemblance to the one that will tackle La Rochelle in the Champions Cup showpiece at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille this weekend.
Nonetheless, the Blues came away with a deserved bonus point win to leave Munster facing a last-eight trip against Ulster in Belfast on Friday week.
“We had a pretty honest assessment about how things went as a group and in our mini-groups we had it out with each other about what we thought we could have done better. We weren’t on it from the start. We were beaten physically in certain areas and we were really disappointed with our breakdown,” Farrell explained on a URC media call.
“Honestly, we probably got bullied a little bit there in the first 10 minutes and that set the tone for the rest of the game. There are a few other areas that we’re really disappointed with. We didn’t exit very well. We panicked a little bit. We felt we were really well prepared for it and that’s the disappointing thing.
“We felt like going into the game we had good knowledge of what to expect from that Leinster team. We knew where they were dangerous and we thought we were well prepared, but we didn’t act like that when the game came to it. It was something we were really disappointed with and from the conversations we’ve had today [Tuesday], we’ve taken a lot out of that.
“Hopefully we’ll have taken some learnings. It still feels a little bit raw to have lost like that, but we feel like we’ve learnt from it already and we can turn a corner now going into the end of this week. Put another couple of good training days behind us and be in a better position from where we are now.”
Given the nature of their latest reversal to Leinster [they also lost out to their arch rivals at Thomond Park on 2 April], there will inevitably be question marks over Munster’s confidence levels heading into that forthcoming duel with Ulster. However, Farrell is adamant this won’t be a factor as they look to salvage a largely frustrating campaign.
“I wouldn’t say it knocks our confidence. We 100% have to put our hands up and say we didn’t perform. Against a team like Leinster, if you aren’t at 100% you’re never going to win the game. I wouldn’t say it dents our confidence because we know how difficult we can be to play against, when we’re up around 100%.
“When we’re more clinical, when we’re decisive with what we’re doing. Playing our game plan without deviating when the pressure comes on. It’s trying to understand why that happened at the weekend is the big thing for us. I don’t think it’ll have an implication on how we go against Ulster. Hopefully between now and then we can put a few things right.”
Given two of the South African clubs – the Stormers and the Bulls – finished the regular season of the URC in the top-four, having to travel up to Kingspan Stadium in nine days’ time could hardly be regarded as a logistical headache for Munster.
In fact, the Reds find themselves coming face-to-face with an Ulster side they have already defeated home and away in this year’s competition. Yet although Tyrone native Farrell played a significant role in getting one over on his home province in Belfast last month, he can’t see it having any bearing on how their latest duel will pan out.
“There’s not a huge amount we can take away from winning up there this year. I think it’s going to be a completely different task. It’s not a game that we can compare to what we did the last time we were up there. It’s a really hostile place to play and they’re now a team that have one front to compete on, like us,” Farrell added.
“They’ll want to right that wrong and I’d expect a reaction from them. They didn’t like being beaten by Munster in Belfast. They were disappointed with that last time. It’s going to be a huge evening up there next Friday night and one that we’re not going to shy away from.”
- Originally published at 07.45
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Well he would say that, wouldn’t he, to quote a well known phrase.
Obviously his turn to appease the fans and ease the pain with the ‘ we will learn the lessons’ and come back stronger after training hard for a few days
I feel that interview could have been played out any week from the start of the season
That so called dream team coaching ticket can’t be broken up quick enough
@Mark Smith: Not arguing with you, but yes what else can he say, apart from something along the lines of “Roll on next season when GR and Prendy are in charge – I can’t wait tbh cos I’m sick of having to trot out these cliches when we lose, and what im even more sick of is, actually losing these games that we should be winning!!! Grrrrrrrh!!! (cue: smash a table or two).” If he said something like that he would probably just get suspended for suggesting dissatisfaction with the current coaching team and JVG, who is effectively his boss. For us fans it’s frustrating to hear these tired cliches, how is it for the players when they have to trot them out when they know they have to follow the coach’s strategy, otherwise they are out of a job? Just my few cents that’s all…
@Trev: ps Roll on next season with GR and Prendy
@Trev: GR is still part of the team now so he must take some blame for the performance. The buck stops with the players. JVG can’t catch the ball for them or attempt a weak tackle
@Danger: yes, fair point, but we may need to wait for someone’s autobiography to find out how much of a say he has atm. True too about JVG not being responsible if his players can not catch a ball or attempt weak tackles, and yes the players must cop some of the flak, but is it the players who decide on the one-up runner and box-kicking strategies and to persist with these when it’s clear they are not working in a game as we saw so often this season? Players have off-days and fair is fair they should shoulder the responsibility for that too.
Munster are puzzling me somewhat at present. They’re not a bad team and in my view at least, they’re better than their league finish of 6th. On their day they can beat anyone. Ido believe that VG has been poor for the last 2/3 years. With Earls & Conway they’ve had 2 of the best finishers but the plan didn’t seem about getting the ball to them. Possibly because centre hasn’t been a position of strength? De Allende came with a huge rep but didn’t dominate in the way people would have hoped. I think Trevor Halstead as an imported SA centre was more effective. Outside centre is also an issue. Maybe 1 or 2 new faces needed there. Front row needs work but that’s Rowntrees speciality. While I love seeing Leinster win Ireland needs all 4 provinces firing on all cylinders with WC just a year.
@Tom O’Gorman: difficult for Munster to focus on themselves when the dominance of Leinster hangs over them.If it was a dominant Toulouse it would be bearable
You would probably have been better off in the bookies … you are talking about the same thing every week..the whole set up is wrong… your coach is as thick as two planks and the quicker he goes out of town the better… what a waste of 4 years… GR must be pulling his hair out…
@Jim Hickey: Hopefully GR will improve matters. Getting them to consistently cut out the silly errors (eg unforced knock-ons, poor line-out throws & timing) & reducing the amount of missed tackles would have a major effect on results. We’ve the second highest points scored so imo should be finishing higher than 6th.
We lost 7 games. Had we won 1 of those seven with a bonus point we’d have been second. Like the rest of the teams we’re well behind Leinster but best of the rest is very achievable.
There’s a lot of current players simply not good enough… At least Van Graan will be gone soon
Those dreaded “learnings”.
Nevertheless Munster can still turn it around by winning in Belfast, and then going down to South Africa and beating Stormers in the semi-final. Very unlikely to defeat Leinster (A or B) in the final though.
Its been wrong for years, few brave performances have papered over the cracks but we have been miles off the pace in reality. Pashun is only getting us so far and we were found out big time against the Leinster B/Cs
@Sam Murray: Was at the game & didn’t think we brought the “pashun”. If we had we wouldn’t have been bossed up front.
With the new batch of Leinster players joining Connacht they will have more depth than Munster next Season
Attack is a huge issue but being man handled at rucks and being turned over on our own ball isn’t good enough. Can’t remember us losing so many breakdowns on our own ball. Exeter targeted us in the first game and everyone has taken notice since
@Stephen White: v Toulouse leinster didn’t compete at any breakdown and didn’t win a single turnover. V munster they hit the breakdown and munster just didn’t expect them to do so. Again Lancaster and cullen at their best.
@Chris Mc: just shows that we have a plan and stick to it and struggle to adapt if needed.
I think Donal Lenihan got it right, there’s far too much reliance on stuff other than focussing on rugby in Munster at the moment. All the talk of pashun, back slapping for self appointed titles of world’s best supporters, slogans and songs about standing, fighting, bravery, faith etc, it’s all irrelevant to winning anything. Time and time again Munster have shown they can pull out a big performance through passion from players like POM but can’t follow it up in the next game because that approach is not sustainable. They did at least recognise that the one out runner approach won’t deliver at the end of the season but it’s too late to try to completely change a style of play mid season as was evident on Saturday. There’s youth coming through and a new coaching ticket so time will tell
Underachievers away to underachievers in Belfast! Let’s see who is worse.
@Michael Killian: not sure Ulster have underachieved as you put it. They were unlucky to go out Vs Toulouse @ QF stage and have a pretty good chance of winning the league. Home draw vs Munster – they’ll fancy that and should they meet Leinster they won’t fear them as they’ve beaten them twice this season. Probably Leinster won’t be at full strength post Champions final due to injuries and the need to rest players. Don’t write them off.
@Tom O’Gorman: winning what league? Ulster beat Leinster’s seconds twice and have no chance of beating a full strength. They played 65 minutes v 14-man Toulouse and the same against Munster in TP without winning and their only hope of besting Leinster is if Leinster field their Seconds again – and get a man sent off. Nevertheless, beating Munster is clearly within their scope.
Let the young lads play. Murray, Joey, Earls etc have no business starting in Ravenhill, If they aren’t good enough they need to sit on the bench. But they will cause the have the room, VG doesn’t anyway! In fairness to Farrell, he’s not been too bad.
Van Graan and Periera will be a loss. They have done a great job with the the squad they have. Leinster, supported by an exceptional school system and a Leister-centric IRFU have a side that is dominant in Europe. I sometimes wonder if the average IQ of people who comment is a double digit number.