David Corkery on Munster's loss to Castres: IRFU must take off Leinster-tinted glasses...
Munster's Fineen Wycherley and Edwin Edogbo applaud the fans at Thomond Park. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan
"No one to blame, other than ourselves..."
The words of Munster Coach Clayton McMillon when he was interviewed after his side's historic loss on Saturday evening.
Maybe Castres just didn’t get the memo on how games of this nature play out by bringing over an almost full-strength squad. Or maybe Munster were just expecting that the mythical gods of Thomond park would bequeath them another miracle.
Whatever it was that led to Munster crashing out of the Champions Cup in the pool stages, I hope it now sends shock waves through the structures of the province.
I'm almost happy Munster are out because now maybe those in the boardroom might be forced to shoulder a portion of the blame.
In any professional organisation, there comes a time when those who are responsible for preparing the profit and loss spreadsheets must answer to the shareholders. In this case, those shareholders are the Munster supporters whose numbers and commitment are waning with each fruitless season.
All too often, it's the coaching staff and players sent to face the firing squad. Munster's demise has to lie in the hands of those who write the cheques, implement the blueprints and offer the contracts.
I know the Munster players and coaching ticket will be slow to blame anyone else other than themselves, but this loss didn’t just transpire on Saturday.
Unless somebody stands up and fights, Munster’s demise will only continue in a downward spiral.
Not wanting to take anything away from Castres, the hosts' performance came about as a direct result of poor planning, an unwillingness by those at the top to stand up and fight for Munster's corner with the IRFU. And, as importantly, the way the club game has been allowed to fall from previous heights.
Just remember the core principles of building anything substantial are based around structural integrity, functionality, planning, sustainability, efficiency and context. All we keep hearing about are the money owed from the rebuilding of Thomond Park and how expensive the professional game is to run.
For many a year, we have had to sit and watch the Munster team battle with a squad that has lacked quality, depth and international experience.
For well over a decade, the Munster teams that have taken to the pitch have been so ill-equipped it’s a credit to the players' unwavering resilience and mental toughness that they’ve even been able to compete at the level they do.
The best analogy I could offer is the Munster squad is like a fleet of VW Golfs. They will never give up, but when placed in a straight sprint with an F1 car, they will always come second.
The time for accommodating Leinster’s hand-me-downs, pension-seeking foreigners and bringing back players because they have a romantic affiliation with the province must very quickly become a thing of the past.
The old saying 'you get what you pay for' is particularly prevalent in professional sport. Munster must sign quality first-team international players.
McMillin needs a new front and back-row. A young cocky fly-half that will keep Crowley looking over his shoulder, and a second-row that likes hurting people would help too.
Gavin Coombs needs to become a human wrecking ball. Calvin Nash, Shane Daly, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley and Alex Nankivell are all high-quality players out wide. Thomas Ahern, Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson have all the attributes needed to become top internationals.
Munster’s line-out also must become a reliable weapon. If I had all the money in the world, I wouldn’t put one euro on Munster to win two consecutive line-outs in any game.
Maybe the Six Nations will give us something to celebrate.
App?
