Weak and wounded Munster die with their boots on

BRAVE as only Munster can be, but in the end it was the strength of Northampton’s bench that extinguished Munster’s European journey for yet another year.

There is a fish that lives nowhere else in the world other than in Tanzania (Africa).

It lies at the bottom of a lake called Malawi and pretends to be dead in order to attract its prey. 

It even allows its predators to take small bites out of it so as to create the ultimate illusion and when the moment is right it pounces and feasts on its unsuspecting visitors.

This species of fish is called cichlids and in many respects it mimicked Munster’s performance in their do or die last sixteen tie on Sunday evening. 

The only difference on this occasion is that the prey it was looking to hoodwink was just too strong and too clever.

Such was the amount of late withdrawals, suspensions and long term injuries that Munster had suffered in the run up to this game it seemed that Graham Rowntree and his players were only participating because they had no choice.

Arriving at the gates of Franklins Gardens on Sunday Munster looked like a side that really had no chance of defeating a Northampton team that was firing on all cylinders and the only way they were going to leave the grounds with a victory was if they were going to sacrifice tiny little bits of themselves.

First of all they had to deal with John Ryan’s yellow card been upgraded to a red from the week before. 

Then they suffered another blow when Calvin Nash was ruled out with a lower limb injury, and to top it all off both Shane Daly and RG Snyman were last minute withdrawals.

Daly picked up a knock in training on Friday and was replaced by Sean O’Brien who had a fine game. 

Snyman on the other hand who was suffering with some kind of sickness in the days before, but was originally named on the starting fifteen seemed to have a relapse and was replaced by young Thomas Ahern at the very last second.

So, if there was ever an occasion for Munster to go into a game like a lame animal, this was it.

As in games of this importance both sets of players will always start as if their very lives depended on them winning it.

Like thirty bees on speed buzzing about, both teams tore into each other and gave us an entertaining first half performance that will go down as a classic forty minutes.

Through some powerful runs and great passages of continuity Munster lorded the opening quarter, but failed to turn pressure into points and it was the home side that struck first when a simple little error from Jack Crowley allowed the hosts gain a foot hold in Munster’s twenty two, thus allowing James Ramm to score under the posts.

Thankfully, Munster’s response was quick and when Sean O’Brien powered his way through two Northampton defenders the score was tied at seven a piece. 

One more try each allowed both teams return to the dressing rooms for a very well deserved break with the scores tied at fourteen points each however, as soon as the second half commenced it became very evident that the hosts were going to take advantage of Munster’s frailties and lack of quality substitutions.

Up front the Northampton scrum started to put the squeeze on Munster’s front three and what was a fairly equal battle in the first half, soon turned into a very effective weapon for Northampton. 

It didn’t take long for the referee to see that Munster were struggling to cope with the powerful Northampton eight and very quickly started awarding penalties in their favour.

At this point I think it is important for me to recognise the contribution that the 36 year-old Stephen Archer has afforded Munster in his fifteen year playing career and for him to have played the full eighty yesterday is a testimony to the pains he is prepared to go to for the province. With nearly 300 games under his belt I don’t think we will ever see a player with his longevity or loyalty again?

In the end it fell upon the twenty one year old substitute George Hendy to nail home the final two nails in Munster’s 2024 European coffin when he brilliantly helped himself to a brace of try’s.

For the last ten minutes of the game, Munster looked like a side that were both physically and mentally drained. 

They were falling off tackles and the harder they tried the more mistakes they made.

Even before all the injuries, suspensions and various other little off field difficulties that Munster have encountered this year they were always going to enter this part of the season on the back foot.

The key to any teams success in this unrelenting rugby world we live in today is having a squad of never ending depth and quality and unlike Leinster and some of the French sides, Munster are miles off from where they need to be in terms feasting at the top table.

Hopefully, they will do well again this year in the URC, but URC is a far cry from Europe and the sooner they fully recognise and embrace this, the sooner they will get back to where they once were.