David Corker on Munster beating Leinster: Marker laid down as Jack Crowley showed his class
Munster fans celebrate a try against Leinster at Croke Park. Picture: INPHO/Ben Brady
Obtaining a victory at the home of the GAA against a Leinster side packed full of Irish internationals, British and Irish Lions and a double World Cup medal holder was deemed nigh on unachievable... but as we know to the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible.
Years of hardship and rivers of tears have passed since Munster produced a performance like this. The rugby world had the pleasure of witnessing a display on Saturday night forged from materials that can only be found deep within Munster.
Not since the glory days of winning European Cups have Munster supporters witnessed such a display of resilience. Even with the Munster scrum locked in reverse gear, Leinster had no answers.
If you think Leo Cullen is worried after only winning one of his first four outings, just imagine how Andy Farrell must be feeling as he witnessed the backbone of his international squad get chewed up and spat out by a team that had never previously played a single minute of competitive rugby as a collective.
Apart from the opening 10 minutes, where Leinster, fed from the penalties their dominant scrum afforded them, Munster won every other challenge. To do that against a side with Leinster’s pedigree is one hell of an achievement.
It might be a little bit too early to suggest that whatever Clayton McMillan has brought with him from the land of the long white cloud is going to allow Munster to recover from their dismal returns over the last 15 years, but they've a solid foundation to build on.
Munster have now won four out of four of this year’s URC. Believe it or not, what has impressed me the most is that they are finding a way to win when they've no right to.
If McMillan and his players had lost their first three games, I don’t think anyone would have blinked an eye because they were sloppy and looked very unsure as to what type of game-plan they were looking to deliver. By hook or crook, they dug their heels in and somehow ground out three victories that in previous years would have ended in defeat.
I still can’t really pinpoint if McMillan and his coaching staff are going to try an expansive, forward-dominated or territorial-kicking type of game. What I do know is that if the Munster players produce the same kind of defensive effort for the remainder of the season, there is no team on this planet that could beat them.
The Munster back five of Edwin Edogbo, Fineen Wycherley, Tadhg Beirne, Jack O’Donoghue and Brian Gleeson were a sight for sore eyes. I can only imagine the Leinster players must have been wondering what the hell was happening.
Hopefully, the injury to Gleeson will not be long-term because he is the kind of player that the modern game is made for. Fast, abrasive and, most importantly, clever.
The return of Edwin Edogbo is a massive boost. Having a man of Edogbo’s physical size is something that every quality side must have at their disposal and if he can remain free from long-term injury, it won’t be too long before he becomes one of Farrell's front runners.
The face-off between Jack Crowley and Sam Prendergast wasn’t even a contest. It became very obvious that Crowley is now Ireland's first-choice number 10.
Crowley was everything you’d expect from a world-class fly-half while Prendergast ran around the field like a rabbit that was startled in the headlights. I still believe Prendergast is a quality player. On this occasion, when Leinster needed guidance from their commander, he was a panic-stricken soldier.
I could go on and on about all the Munster players but I'm restricted by a word count. What I would like to say is that for the first time in a very long time, the pride that I once wore the Munster jersey with was back.
It's way too early to be getting too excited and to be talking about medals but we now know what this squad can do.
The question now is, can they maintain this kind of physical effort on a consistent basis without injury?
App?
