SATURDAY’S CHAMPIONS CUP defeat of Stade Francais ticked a lot of boxed for the Munster coaches. A winning start, a bonus point and big performances from some of the newer faces in the squad all ensured those who had braved the conditions left Thomond Park feeling good about what they saw.
Munster looked in control from start to finish, yet the review will focus heavily on two frustrating aspects of the performance. After moving into a 28-0 lead Munster let their standards slip for a period in the closing quarter, before shaking off that slump to finish strongly. Secondly, they would have nilled their visitors if not for switching off as Stade scored from a short lineout routine.
“We made a pretty basic mistake at the front of the lineout when we went too far back and they took a quick one at the front,” said Munster interim head coach Ian Costello.
“That was disappointing because that’s just really down to being on it all the time but the core elements of our defence. Our hunger, our desire, our intent, our chop tackle, what Leams would call our ‘bounce’ which is the energy that we give everyone around us.
“Peter (O’Mahony) talked during the week about how we make people feel defensively. I think if you were wearing a red shirt tonight you made 14 others feel really, really good about that performance.”
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Munster's Peter O'Mahony and Stade Francais Paris Ryan Chapuis. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
O’Mahony backed up his midweek words with a classic European performance, an impactful 60-minute showing ending with the flanker leaving the pitch with a bloodied face following a scuffle after Stade’s second red card of the evening – having also been on the receiving end of the swinging arm that brought their first.
O’Mahony was dominant in the air, providing a safe option on Munster’s lineout while also getting up to steal some Stade throws. There were breaks with ball-in-hand and even some footballing skills with a fine punt into the Stade half and a smart grubber.
“His kicking worked out well,” joked Costello.
“Look, we’re so fortunate. Barronsy [Diarmuid Barron], Tadhg [Beirne], Peter, Jack [Crowley] and many others… We’ve got a really strong leadership group.
‘We talked a couple of weeks ago about a shared ownership approach and it’s really important that across players, staff and coaches that we spread the load and everyone is bought on and everybody has pulled together to put us in a really good position for his block.
Peter is and always has been a talisman for the club. He was brilliant, on and off the pitch, this week.”
He wasn’t the only one.
Craig Casey built on his fine November form with a sharp performance, while Jack Crowley also had a strong game. Tom Farrell made some punchy carries, and the livewire Thaakir Abrahams made an impact on both sides of the ball. It’s early days, but the South African winger looks a shrewd signing.
Loosehead prop Dian Bleuler, a short-term signing who joined from the Sharks last month, also impressed in helping to lock down the Munster scrum across a busy outing, while Evan O’Connell and Kieran Ryan made their Champions Cup debuts.
All in all, a highly encouraging evening for the Munster coaches.
“It was a step forward around pace. I think our set piece went up a notch as well and some good stuff around defence. We got a lot of turnovers, including a few choke tackles, which was ironic because that was probably something we focused on them being very, very good at. A nice step forward but plenty to go.”
Dian Bleuler takes on Yoan Tanga of Stade Francais. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
They expect a different type of test in Castres on Friday. Stade’s threats centered around their ability in transition. Castres are expected to pose more force than flair. Munster’s players will take two days off before getting back on the training pitch, with Costello hoping to welcome a few more bodies back from injury.
“Castres is a different battle. Very, very strong up front, very physical, brutal. We’re expecting a toe-to-toe battle in a very tough place to play.
“We expect Ollie Jager and Dave Kilcoyne to come back into the mix. Dave was travelling reserve so he hasn’t played in a while. Dian Bleuler is doing all right, Kieran Ryan is doing all right so it gave me some decisions to make, which is fantastic.
“Other than that, Conor [Murray] would be touch and go, I’d say. It’s nothing serious but with the short turnaround… hopefully he’ll be back but we won’t be certain until probably Tuesday.”
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'Peter is a talisman for the club. He was brilliant on and off the pitch'
SATURDAY’S CHAMPIONS CUP defeat of Stade Francais ticked a lot of boxed for the Munster coaches. A winning start, a bonus point and big performances from some of the newer faces in the squad all ensured those who had braved the conditions left Thomond Park feeling good about what they saw.
Munster looked in control from start to finish, yet the review will focus heavily on two frustrating aspects of the performance. After moving into a 28-0 lead Munster let their standards slip for a period in the closing quarter, before shaking off that slump to finish strongly. Secondly, they would have nilled their visitors if not for switching off as Stade scored from a short lineout routine.
“We made a pretty basic mistake at the front of the lineout when we went too far back and they took a quick one at the front,” said Munster interim head coach Ian Costello.
“That was disappointing because that’s just really down to being on it all the time but the core elements of our defence. Our hunger, our desire, our intent, our chop tackle, what Leams would call our ‘bounce’ which is the energy that we give everyone around us.
“Peter (O’Mahony) talked during the week about how we make people feel defensively. I think if you were wearing a red shirt tonight you made 14 others feel really, really good about that performance.”
O’Mahony backed up his midweek words with a classic European performance, an impactful 60-minute showing ending with the flanker leaving the pitch with a bloodied face following a scuffle after Stade’s second red card of the evening – having also been on the receiving end of the swinging arm that brought their first.
O’Mahony was dominant in the air, providing a safe option on Munster’s lineout while also getting up to steal some Stade throws. There were breaks with ball-in-hand and even some footballing skills with a fine punt into the Stade half and a smart grubber.
“His kicking worked out well,” joked Costello.
“Look, we’re so fortunate. Barronsy [Diarmuid Barron], Tadhg [Beirne], Peter, Jack [Crowley] and many others… We’ve got a really strong leadership group.
‘We talked a couple of weeks ago about a shared ownership approach and it’s really important that across players, staff and coaches that we spread the load and everyone is bought on and everybody has pulled together to put us in a really good position for his block.
He wasn’t the only one.
Craig Casey built on his fine November form with a sharp performance, while Jack Crowley also had a strong game. Tom Farrell made some punchy carries, and the livewire Thaakir Abrahams made an impact on both sides of the ball. It’s early days, but the South African winger looks a shrewd signing.
Loosehead prop Dian Bleuler, a short-term signing who joined from the Sharks last month, also impressed in helping to lock down the Munster scrum across a busy outing, while Evan O’Connell and Kieran Ryan made their Champions Cup debuts.
All in all, a highly encouraging evening for the Munster coaches.
“It was a step forward around pace. I think our set piece went up a notch as well and some good stuff around defence. We got a lot of turnovers, including a few choke tackles, which was ironic because that was probably something we focused on them being very, very good at. A nice step forward but plenty to go.”
They expect a different type of test in Castres on Friday. Stade’s threats centered around their ability in transition. Castres are expected to pose more force than flair. Munster’s players will take two days off before getting back on the training pitch, with Costello hoping to welcome a few more bodies back from injury.
“Castres is a different battle. Very, very strong up front, very physical, brutal. We’re expecting a toe-to-toe battle in a very tough place to play.
“We expect Ollie Jager and Dave Kilcoyne to come back into the mix. Dave was travelling reserve so he hasn’t played in a while. Dian Bleuler is doing all right, Kieran Ryan is doing all right so it gave me some decisions to make, which is fantastic.
“Other than that, Conor [Murray] would be touch and go, I’d say. It’s nothing serious but with the short turnaround… hopefully he’ll be back but we won’t be certain until probably Tuesday.”
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