Munster V Sale, 16 Jan 09

A few observations are worth mentioning.

I will always take the view that more is learned in defeat than victory. I think a good starting point for Munster's preparations would be to look at a video analysis of the Sale performance - as will be prepared by the Sale coaching staff - and realize that no team is going to play that badly or stupidly against them again this season. The Ulster game video should remain on special offer as a reminder of what less than 100% commitment gets you, and not be consigned to the archives.

Sale's approach to defending in the three quarters was a joke. They gave Munster acres of space. If you looks the pass forward pass that Earls threw, and butchered a certain try, the defence is shocking. Not only did Earl's pass land well ahead of Dowling, it also landed well
ahead of the Sale backs which shows you how far they were standing off the Munster backs. Against a team like Wasps with a blitz defence that pass wouldn't have been on at all.

Tomas O'Leary has had a great season but he has to stop stepping before passing and stop getting caught out clearing the ball from rucks.

I hope that McGahan has the confidence to back the Warwick at 15, Earls at 13 experiment. This would be tough on Tipoki but I really think injuries have put paid to his form and his season. Earls is priceless and a real threat at 13 while Warwick is ultimately a very good footballer who slots in to all of the back 5 positions. Kidney wasn't afraid to drop Stringer last season and he brought in Denis Hurley for Shaun Payne. I think McGahan has to aim to get his best players on the pitch in the back 5 positions. With players of natural talent such as Warwick, Earls and Howlett, he can do this. Barry Murphy, too, is already a victim of this policy, he is a specialist, but average, 13 who is not really Heineken standard.

Across last season and this one so far I am struck by how Munster have got into the heads of their opponents. Gloucester blew it by missing three 1st half gimme penalties. Saracens couldn't keep their cool in the last 10 mins in Coventry; and Toulouse lost it mentally in the final in Cardiff. Brock James missed a pivotal drop goal chance 6 minutes from time in December in TP when all Clermont had to do was keep the ball tight. By forcing the issue they handed Munster a chance that was taken emphatically.

Munster are not a Kilkenny, in the sense that they do not gratuitously murder weak opposition, but they are very Kilkenny-like in the business end of the season. More than any other team they seem to understand the fact that six games in a group does not allow you the luxury of losing any game - losing in the sense that you get nothing at all from the game. Therefore, they have developed the ability to go away from home and either win or get a losing bonus point. If you look at the 17 group matches since the start of the successful 05/06 campaign to now, the 1st match - when the lost 27-15 to Sale, is the only time they have failed to take at least a point from a match. Even when they lost to Leicester in January 07, they got a losing bonus point.

People may talk about strength, skill and spirit, but brains are pretty important too. Print this post