IT IS WORTH pointing out that Munster are just five points adrift of sixth place and that guaranteed place in next season’s Champions Cup. Oh and that there is well over half the season to go.
That’s the good news.
Now the bad. If they don’t beat Connacht tonight (kick-off 7.35pm, Live TG4) then they really are in trouble because they follow this game up with a trip to Edinburgh and then back-to-back derbies over the New Year period against Leinster (home) and Ulster (away).
It’s why a button was pressed this week. Look at the side Munster have selected today. Four of their starters, Joey Carbery, Peter O’Mahony, Craig Casey and Tadhg Beirne, were heavily involved in Ireland’s November series. Ordinarily these are rest weeks for returning internationals.
Not this time – Connacht too selecting six players involved with Ireland this month, the point being that their need is as great as Munster’s.
It’s how it should be. For this competition to gain respect, it needs to showcase its best players on a regular basis and increasingly this is happening, not just because the pool stage of the Champions Cup has been reduced from six games to four, but also because competition has deepened within the URC.
With a stroke of a pen, the arrival of the Stormers, Bulls, Lions and Sharks have turned a bog-standard league into a decent one. In addition to that, the reduction of regular-season games from 21 to 18 has also had a big impact.
Previously, home and away fixtures against Welsh or Italian sides did nothing for anyone. Now, the itinerary is much more taxing. A third of the regular season games are interpro derbies, another four take in the South Africans, with the remaining eight divided between the Italian/Welsh/Scots.
You don’t need to remind Munster how testing those trips to south Wales can be.
It’s why they are behind the eight ball, still smarting from those opening season defeats away to Cardiff and Dragons. A third loss to tonight’s opponents, Connacht, followed shortly afterwards when Finlay Bealham, Connacht’s tighthead, had a superb night.
His battle with Josh Wycherley tonight is likely to be decisive and if Connacht are going to complete a home-and-away double over their rivals then they are going to need a repeat of their Galway performance when Gavin Thornbury put in a shift in the engine room and Jack Carty tormented the Munster back three with a series of clever kicks.
And yet, and yet, they nearly blew it that night. Off the tee, Carty was wayward, missing three from three. In the end, their pack fronted up when Carty needed them too, squeezing over for two second half tries, Bealham with the first, Paul Boyle the second.
Munster were bad that night, outclassed out wide, bettered in the scrum, troubled by Connacht’s maul, superior just at the breakdown and the occasions when they got their own maul going.
They’ve improved since, showed heart against Leinster and class against the visiting South Africans.
It’s worth recalling, though, that they had O’Mahony, Beirne, Carbery – as well as Conor Murray – when they lost in Galway. Plus that was a Connacht minus Bundee Aki.
Andy Friend’s team have a history of performing well in Limerick and were desperately unlucky not to win there last season.
They’re capable of going one better this time.
Munster: Mike Haley, Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly, Joey Carbery, Craig Casey, Josh Wycherley, Diarmuid Barron, Roman Salanoa; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (CAPT), John Hodnett, Alex Kendellen
Replacements: Niall Scannell, Jeremy Loughman, John Ryan, Edwin Edogbo, Jack O’Donoghue, Paddy Patterson, Jack Crowley, Gavin Coombes
Connacht: John Porch, Byron Ralston, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Alex Wootton, Jack Carty (CAPT) Caolin Blade, Denis Buckley, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Josh Murphy, Gavin Thornbury, Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Jarrad Butler
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Peter Dooley, Jack Aungier, Niall Murray, Oisín Dowling, Kieran Marmion, Conor Fitzgerald, Paul Boyle
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR, 20th league game)
Brilliant reaction from united. Delighted for bruno.
@Brian Dunne: best player on the pitch tonight, when he cuts out the antics and plays like that it’s great to see and he shows he’s class. That was the reaction needed after Sunday.. De gea distribution worrying again though.
@Brian Dunne: Shocked at the Virgin Media panel’s scathing review of Wout Weghorst. Sure, he won’t be United’s starting 9 going into next season, but a player like that is invaluable. He was a workhorse at Wolfsburg and he’s giving it his all here too it seems. He’s a man who will play for the badge. People seem to forget that if you’re chasing a game in seasons to come, the option to throw on a difficult 6’5 centre forward is a blessing. Would not be surprised if he scores one or two important goals going forward if he sticks around.
@Pauly Kel: yeah not sure de gea is ever going to get better at that at this stage.
@Ultan Corcoran: agree Ultan. The lad has worked his socks off in every game and contributes plenty in general play. Anyone who likes football was surely happy he got a goal tonight. But the first thing virgin talk about after the game? How the lad isn’t good enough!
@Ultan Corcoran:agree, thought it came across as very arrogant and nearly sneering of the chap. I’m sure he’s living and enjoying the dream playing for utd, he has been putting in some serious work on the pitch a team player no doubt
@Ultan Corcoran: he might be looks like our transfer window will be suspended with this take over
@Ultan Corcoran: I must say he seems to be very well liked in the squad as they all seemed delighted he scored. Will he be a Kane and score 20+ gold a season. But saw it tonight when they were 3-1 up. Took off Rashford and left Wong on and he never stopped running and harassing. Stopped watch virgin ages ago. Between the pundits and commentators there all terrible.
@Pauly Kel: he’s great against lesser opposition.
@Michael Anthony: you say he goes missing in the big games so?
@Pauly Kel: What part of Manchester are you from?
@Ultan Corcoran: agree. It took forever for John Aldridge to score his first goal for Ireland back in the day. Didn’t make him a bad player. Weghorst will get his share in time.
@Brian Dunne: always plays well against bad teams. Just shows his character really.
Bruno answers his critics with a Man of the Match performance! Delighted for Weghorst too for his goal… Sancho continues to frustrate! Overall an excellent performance after Sunday!
@G Bot: anything was better than sunday
@James Rowan: I agree!!!
@G Bot: Bruno didn’t answer anything. The epitome of a fair weather player. When everything goes well he excels, but runs away when the going gets tough. One game doesn’t absolve years of evidence to the contrary. Mini Ronaldo.
@Trevor Wallace: utter nonsense.
@Trevor Wallace: Really? He effectively carried United on his back single handed for 2 seasons. I’m not sure what evidence your talking about but as a fan I watch him week in week out and his quality and his character is clear…maybe some petulance is a mark against him but otherwise I think your talking out of your proverbial
@Trevor Wallace: they’ve beaten city, liverpool, arsenal, spurs, and barcelona this season with him playing a large part in all those victories but just make stuff up their trev.
@Brian Dunne: How so? I have no skin at all in this. Bruno was a disgrace on Sunday and not for the first time either. I believe Brian Kerr said similar tonight.
While obviously a super talented player when the chips are down has Bruno shown he’s going to dig in for the team? As a non EPL team supporter watching ManU over the seasons, I’m not sure how you can argue against this.
So again, one game doesn’t maketh a player.
@G Bot: Hang on hang on! I’m not dissing him as a player. He is super talented but I question his mentality when the chips are down. I think that’s fair no? I do agree he was awesome in his first season for you. Not sure for 2 seasons….but I’m sure you can correct me.
@Trevor Wallace: 1 game? He has nearly 60 goals and over 50 assists for utd in 150 games for a cm that’s excellent stats, I wouldn’t be too happy with he’s antics when the chips are down he could clean up on that. But he has been a excellent signing for utd..
@Trevor Wallace: I think you’re backtracking a bit there Trevor… Tonight was a tough game despite the scoreline. A flakier team (or United a few years ago) would’ve struggled after Sunday especially after the equaliser. Fernandes was a decisive part in the victory. You might have a point to certain extent to question his character when the chips are down but I think you were dissing him quite a bit in your first comment
@A$AP ETH: Sigh! That is not what I am saying at all. Read my comment again. How any ManU supporters could support some Bruno performances is beyond me. Would I like him playing for my team? (I’m not faceless check my twitter) hell yes every day of the week!! Is Bruno a team player when you’re up against it? Not currently on evidence but maybe he will be.
@Trevor Wallace: like when the chips were down when they went 1 down to barca and won, 1 down to city and won, conceded an equaliser against arsenal earlier in the season and were under the cosh for half an hour and won 3-1? He had a mare last week, the whole team did, yet you are zeroing in on him because he got the lions share of the flak for ‘petulance’ by neville and keane, who as great as they were, also spent the lions share of their career roaring at their team mates. When did people become so sanctimonious that visibly being pissed off when things are going badly is something to be criticised?
@Trevor Wallace: mini Ronaldo? You can say what you like about Ronaldos final weeks at United but nobody can take away what that man achieved, the amount of games he got by the stuff of the neck and the amount of important goals he scored.
@A$AP ETH: Yes, beat liverpool 2-1 at old Trafford with 29% possession and played like a bottom half team on the break. I suppose a stopped clock is right twice a day.
@Denis Ryan: coming off their worst premier league season ever just after receiving a hammering from brentford, and playing one of the top two teams in the league? Well i suppose if they played swashbuckling stuff and lost or drew i could be on here delighted they got them getting 47% possession. Goals on the board is the only stat that matters. Whats the excuse for the actual teams in the bottom half they’ve lost to this year?
@A$AP ETH: same excuse that ye are beginning to use, tired from playing twice a week last year and not investing in our midfield. Won 50 out of 63 games last season without ever playing non possession based football. Remember ye have lost 6 league games this season and we have lost seven. As the games pile up for ye this season, ye will drop points. Besides a miracle in Madrid we have 13 games left this season over three months, plenty of rest and to plan and we are usually better in the second half of the league season.
Sum decent perfomances sum still poor. Antony flatters to deceive. De Gea was shakey all night wit the ball. Thought lads off bench did well wit exception of sancho who was poor…again. Should have bagged another couple of goals.
Good win. Could have scored more. Still a lot to improve on. Think when utd are playing a more attacking team AWB should be playing. Anthony (despite scoring) and Sancho again frustrate
They didn’t beat them 7-0 though!
@Jonathan Nolan: Liverpools next week, can’t wait for Drubbing No.2!
We recovered well, bitter much!??
@Damien O’ Sullivan: in the second tier of European football ffs. Bitter ? Just never forget 7-0
@Johnny Honest: would now be an awkward time to point out that Liverpool are currently qualifying for that second tier of European football in 23/24
@Johnny Honest: We have already.
And we’re moving on to the other competitions we’re still in.
After Tuesday’s mauling the big chase for 4th is all you lot will have.
Exciting…..not.
@Johnny Honest: and you remember 7 is the number of points United are ahead of Liverpool this season
@Johnny Honest: and you remember 7 is the number of points United are ahead of Liverpool this season
Andy townsend voice: Better! An entertaining game. Pleased for Wout, some class run by pellestri in the build up. Unreal finish by anthony as well, shame he didn’t square it for that chance he had at the end. Liked the school font on the numbers for the betis jerseys. Onto the saints on sunday!
Good performance from Utd tonight, should be favourites to win this competition now.
Not sure that Ten Haag won’t cash in on Bruno in the summer.
@Bert Carolan: maybe, but Roma and Sevilla might think the same, they are playing well in this tournament too.
@Andrew Giles: And Arsenal.
@Fionn O’ Neill: I think the league is the bigger prize for Arsenal, Europa League would just be a welcome bonus, who would be a manager trying to juggle selection, avoid injuries in pursuit of multiple trophies, like Klopp last season, and Arteta and Ten Haag this season, both eyeing 2 trophies, 2 more in Utds case, the league, in my opinion us beyond Utd now.
It’s not Uniteds ability to win matches that concerns me. It’s their mental weakness when things go wrong. Seeing that change would be a positive for me.
Bruno will always turn up…. On Thursday nights.
@Colin Mac: he does it some Saturdays too against the teams battling relegation.
@Johnny Honest: its hilarious how bruno triggers fans of other teams!