TINY EVENTS CAN make a huge difference, reflected Johann van Graan, the Munster coach, as he plucked the positives out of a frustratingly close defeat in Glasgow.
“Two good teams going at it in poor conditions, we are happy with the bonus point,” he added.
In the end, missed conversion by 22-year-old Jack Crowley a few minutes after coming off the bench only cost his side a single point, turning a potential draw into a 13-11 defeat.
They are, however, still in a good position to hunt silverware with home games against Edinburgh and the Dragons next on the schedule. They are fifth in the United Rugby Championship table but have a game in hand plus a points difference advantage over three of the teams above them.
“The conditions were tough for both teams and there were mistakes on both sides,” he added. “They scored from a charge down kick and that made all the difference.
“For us it was a chance to give some more game time to some young players and we will reap the benefits of that. The likes of Alex Kendellen, Paddy Patterson, Jack Crowley and Jack Hodnett got game time and will learn from experiences like that. I think we have used 58 players this season, which is a lot.”
He refused to blame Crowley for the miss, preferring to point out that there had been other opportunities to take the game and there was a degree of pure bad luck in the try they conceded. Though Scott Cummings did well with the charge down, he was fortunate that the ball landed straight in front of him and that he was able to reach the line despite being tackled well short.
The rest of the game was dominated by the weather. “It was cold, windy and wet, which made it hard to move the ball,” van Graan pointed out.
“They were tough conditions. There is still plenty of rugby to play this season, and we are still very much still in it.”
Lucky to have the bonus point but you still expect more of Munster.
@Con Cussed: Do you expect Munster to win every home and away game, except against maybe the other provinces? Glasgow are a top team, losing away from home to them shouldnt be unexpected. Even the bookies had Glasgow as favourites, a Munster win while not a surprise, certainly shouldn’t have been expected.
@Kingshu: Thats a very fair evaluation actually.
@Kingshu: that would be slightly offset but the likelihood (I’ve not checked) of Glasgow missing more to international duty.
Dreadful conditions, so don’t think free-flowing rugby was on the table really. I think Archer was the losing of this game. When Glasgow went down to 14 men, he gave away 2 sloppy penalties in quick succession, allowing Glasgow to wind down the clock, regain momentum and territory, and score 3 points. Dreadful 5 minutes by him, cost the team dearly. He might be older but I wouldn’t describe him as an “experienced” head. He’s done this time and time again.
@Stephen Rogan: Every match he gives away 2 or 3 lazy penalties. He’s a liability. Glasgow never looked like threatening Munster, all their points came from brainless Munster errors. Not doing basics well. The try conceded at end of first half was ridiculous. No pillar when box kicking. Instead Archer is standing outside Ben Healy. Every match they give away soft points. They’re their own worst enemy.
Ah, Munster. Crapping the bed yet again, and insisting everything’s fine.
@Pete Slattery ✏️: I think it’s pretty obvious that the supporters know that everything isn’t fine.