David Corkery on rugby: Munster needed a lift but better be sharper against Leinster
Munster’s Gavin Coombes and Tom Ahern after beating Ulster. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
A heartbreaker for Ulster, but a very welcome early Christmas present for Munster.
When you consider the mistake-ridden opening 40 minutes we had to endure, it was a pleasure to watch a second half that was filled with tenacity and eagerness to move the ball.
I've no idea if the first half represented Ulster dragging Munster down to their level or vice versa, but the entertainment value was nil. Apart from two tries, it should be used as an example of how rugby should not be played. Poor kicking, dropped balls, poor discipline, missed tackles, very poor return from lineouts and a lack of willingness to play an expansive game had us struggling to keep our eyes from closing.
Ultimately, all that mattered was winning and that’s exactly what Ian Costello and his players achieved.
After the loss to Castres, there was a lot of honesty in the team meetings during the week and it really showed in their defensive performance. When you find yourself under constant bombardment, it is very easy to identify the bluffers.
Ulster will be kicking themselves when they review the game and realise just how poor their maul attempts actually were.
When endeavouring to score a try from a five-metre line-out after winning the ball from the throw the most important aspect of your next play is that you are tight and the maul moves forward. In Ulster’s case, neither of the last two facets of play were present and the Munster forwards found it very easy to disrupt their cohesion.
The somewhat harsh red card shown to Ulster’s prop and try-scorer Tom O’Toole for a clumsy clear-out at a breakdown will not have helped their cause. In saying that, they had so many failed attempts you would have thought that taking the three points on offer would have been the preferred option, especially as the game went on.
I am all for maximising your opportunities when they arise, but it seems Ulster’s incompetence to identify that their mauling ability was rubbish was to be the sword they perished on and I would 100% blame their coaching staff for this.
If something isn’t effective in any sporting scenario you might have two or maybe three attempts at making it work, but after that you as a coach must call for it to be binned and look at something else.
Richie Murphy, who had some wonderful years with the Irish U20s, is now looking after this Ulster side and I was very surprised to see just how negative his game plan has become. His Ireland teams played some of the best rugby I’ve ever witnessed as a spectator.
Unless you can be sure that your players are physically stronger than any Munster selection the last thing you should do is entice them into a dogfight, but that’s exactly what Murphy and his coaching ticket elected for by opting to break down Munster’s defence with one-out runners.
What was most pleasing about this win from a Munster point of view was the way they reacted to each of Ulster’s scores.
Ignoring what happened in the first half which is best consigned to the trash can, Costello will take much solace from his players' ability to have ground out this win by doing whatever had to be done.
The three tries scored by Tom Farrell and the one by Shane Daly have proved that this team can play a brand of really good rugby.
However, if you want to talk numbers then the 70/30 possession split, the 76/24 territory split both in favour of Ulster and the 16 penalties conceded are statistics that will if replicated see Munster fall to some very heavy losses unless they get their act together.
Produce figures like this next Friday night against Leinster and they might as well turn the lights off in Thomond Park at half-time.
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