Desperation in the air in Cardiff as Munster look to capitalise
Cardiff natives restless as Reds rumble into town
IN 1997, Munster lost twice to Cardiff at the pool stages of the European Cup and those reverses would prove to be hugely significant in the province’s rise from pseudoamateur invitational side to becoming one of the elite professional clubs in Europe.
In particular, the second game in Cork, which Munster lost 32-37, drew a line in the sand. Cardiff had a proud history and had reached the final of the inaugural European Cup in 1995/96, with their Musgrave Park victory founded on some quality international talent of the calibre of Rob Howley, Dai Young, Mike Hall and Polish hard man Gregory Kacala.
Munster had a new coach in Declan Kidney who was drawing from an All-Ireland League that was still flourishing despite being criminally ignored by then Ireland coach Brian Ashton.
Kidney knew he had some talent to work with — the young Alan Quinlan was exceptional at openside, Anthony Foley, Mick Galwey and Peter Clohessy gave the pack a Limerick edge and John Kelly was a quality footballer out wide.
However, that defeat also hammered home the need to prioritise Munster over the clubs to maximise chances of meaningful progress and the coach set about doing exactly that.
The province did not lose another home European Cup game for 10 years.
If that day kick-started the Irish province, Cardiff were heading in the opposite direction.
The club that produced world rugby greats like Cliff Morgan, Gareth Edwards, and Gerald Davies struggled to adapt to the professional era and, since morphing into the Blues franchise in 200304, they have consistently been outperformed by the Scarlets and Ospreys in Wales, having never made the knock-out stages of the Celtic League since the play-offs were reintroduced in 2010.
Since 1996, their best European Cup performance was the 2009 semi-final loss to Leicester (after a penalty-kick shootout) and their only joy has arrived via the Challenge Cup.
After winning Europe’s secondary club competition in 2010, they claimed the title again last season, courtesy of a cracking final win over Gloucester in Bilbao.
This back story is relevant to tonight’s clash because there is an air of desperation about the home side running out to face Munster.
Landing the Challenge Cup last May imbued Cardiff with a sense of optimism going into this campaign.
A heightened marketing campaign (‘Strength Through Unity’), swelling support base and new coach in Australian John Mulvihill (once of Navan RFC) instilled a sense of belief that this could be the season to undo years of unfulfilment.
Then an understrength Leinster pulled off a smash-and-grab win at the Arms Park first up, followed by two more defeat-from-thejaws-of-victory efforts away to Treviso and Zebre last weekend.
Three outings, three losses by a aggregate margin of five points and the Cardiff natives are suddenly restless again.
As for the players, they are raging, according to Mulvihill, who revealed this week that a full-frontal team meeting after the Zebre reverse resulted in the squad ‘beating each other up’ in training.
Munster will be all too aware of the motivations driving Cardiff in what is set up to be a tense affair and head coach Johann van Graan is meeting it head on with his selection — particularly an uberphysical back five featuring three South Africans in Jean Kleyn, Chris Cloete and CJ Stander alongside Peter O’Mahony and Tadhg Beirne.
Joey Carbery gets another opportunity to build on his hugelyencouraging start to life in Munster and the out-half will need protection because Cardiff will make a beeline for him through their route-one No8 Nick Williams and aggressive Islander midfield partnership of Rey Lee-Lo and Will Halaholo.
Ospreys may have been sheep in sacrificial lamb’s clothing last weekend, after resting all their big names for the trip to Cork but it allowed Munster to get their confidence back following the defeat away to Glasgow and further develop their expansionist policies.
Those designs depend on traditional forward grunt and the Munster pack has sufficient heft to impose themselves on a Cardiff eight that, Josh Navidi aside, is short on top quality.
If they can secure decent possession, Mulvihill’s men are dangerous out wide, with the aforementioned centres, full back Gareth Anscombe and powerful American wing Blaine Scully all carrying try-scoring threats.
However, with Carbery directing operations, Munster are no slouches in the backline themselves. Rory Scannell is back to
offer a second playmaking option, Jaco Taute brings a physical edge and the back three of Andrew Conway, Darren Sweetnam and JJ Hanrahan at 15 are all pace and invention.
It is a huge opportunity for Hanrahan. After his struggles at 10 against Glasgow, and with Carbery bedding in at out-half, fullback could be the solution to getting the best out of this talented footballer — particularly with new signing Mike Haley failing to convince thus far (he was badly caught out for the Ospreys try last weekend).
However, it feels as though this one will come down to desire as much as ability. Spurred on by a midweek rallying call from Navidi, the Arms Park will be heaving could lift Cardiff above themselves to the point of frenzy.
Munster will be banking on that extra pressure inducing errors and acts of indiscipline in their hosts, and the visitors have the talent and confidence to secure another timely victory, with the inter-pros and European openers looming.
Defeat by Cardiff 21 years ago proved to be a turning point for Munster. Victory tonight in testing circumstances would add to the swelling belief the province are headed somewhere special once again.