‘Losing to Leinster is never good enough’
Van Graan sees improvements but laments missed chances after late try maintains Blues’ dominance
SATURDAY night’s derby defeat looked and felt different for Munster, but when he and his coaching team pore over the footage, Johann van Graan will find many familiar themes that underpinned the players’ inability to see the result through.
They started strongly and had Leinster in real trouble, but didn’t have it within them to see it out.
Like the September semi-final, they failed to score for a substantial period of the game. JJ Hanrahan converted their try after 12 minutes but they never added to their 10 points, with the out-half guilty of two missed the kicks – the second of which was pretty unforgivable.
The out-half’s accuracy off the tee deserted him in the autumn too and, while he was superb in that historic away win against Clermont, it is clear that Munster simply cannot rely on him in these biggest games.
Hanrahan’s contract is up at the end of the season and what happens next will be fascinating.
His CV has made its way around France and England, while there is talk of a one-year deal being offered at his home club.
The harsh reality for Munster is that, having closed the gap, they need another No 10 if they are going to make the final step.
Promise
Joey Carbery is still injured. Ben Healy has shown promise but didn’t take his chance on Saturday, while Jack Crowley turned down Ronan O’Gara and La Rochelle to fight for his place but needs minutes if he is to be the solution.
Not that the blame can be rested on Hanrahan’s shoulders alone.
They had a commanding lead and had their visitors rattled, but couldn’t capitalise on their mistakes as Rhys Marshall’s lineout collapsed.
Hanrahan had a kick to make it 13-3 at half-time but it hit the post. Instead, two needless penalties handed Johnny Sexton the chance to move his side closer on the scoreboard at half-time.
Having gone in four points up, Munster had 62 per cent possession and 67 per cent territory in the second half but couldn’t break Leinster.
A tight game was screaming out for a moment of class and Ross Byrne, Hugo Keenan and Jordan Larmour provided it. Still, Leinster’s lead was only three points and Munster didn’t have the composure they needed. “It hurts incredibly,” Van Graan said. “It not only hurts me, it hurts everybody because the one thing you can never doubt with this club is the work they put in, the effort they put in and unfortunately we feel the 50/50s didn’t go our way.
“That is rugby and that is life. “We have got to keep going and the positive part of tonight is that it was a league game. Losing to Leinster is never good enough for Munster.
“We hope in the next one, whether that is in a (PRO14) final or the normal league game, or a European quarter-final – who knows what is next? – we believe, that hopefully, we can put in a performance that, at that moment, goes our way.”
This was Leinster’s fifth successive win in this fixture, Munster’s victory in the Christmas 2018 game was their only one over their rivals in 10 matches. Still, Van Graan is convinced that they are closer than ever.
“I’m not going to sugar-coat it. We obviously haven’t beaten them consistently,” he said.
“I think you’ve got to look at the bigger picture as well, there’s no team in Europe has beaten them consistently.
“If you look at their last 12 games we are the only side that they don’t score bonus-point wins against, it’s literally one-score games so you know, they are currently better than us but it’s
literally a moment away.
“So if they had beaten us by four tries to one tonight I would have said yes, that might have been a psychological edge but the fact we lost the game by three points and we didn’t use our opportunities.
“They weren’t wishy-washy opportunities. We should have kicked the ball over the posts or that ball bounces their way, so by no means do I think it’s a psychological thing.
“We know and they know that it’s two top teams and currently they get the 50/50 wins and congratulations to them. We’d like to think our all-round game is improving.
“There were some really good things in attack, defensively we were playing possibly the best attacking side in Europe and we conceded one try in the 68th minute.
“That is a game of small margins. We will look at the individuals and each individual has got to keep going.
“We are looking for one percenters. It was literally one penalty kick. We have got to make sure that the one per cent goes our way.
“That is a coaching thing, a player thing, a club thing. We have got to keep improving. The positive out of this is that we are not far off.”
These sides could meet three times before the season is out so Munster will have chances to test that theory.
Their kicking game clearly unsettles their rivals, while their aggressive defence and breakdown troubled Leo Cullen’s men more than most.
Again, they were undone by their lack of ruthlessness, their ill-discipline and their set-piece accuracy.
These are not new themes. The drawing board will have a familiar feel to it and that’s what’s most frustrating for Munster.
MUNSTER – M Haley; K Earls; C Farrell, D de Allende, S Daly; JJ Hanrahan (B Healy 54), C Murray (C Casey 74); J Cronin (D Kilcoyne 54), R Marshall (N Scannell 50), J Ryan (S Archer 54); J Kleyn, T Beirne; G Coombes (J O’Donoghue 64), P O’Mahony (capt) (F Wycherley 68), CJ Stander.
LEINSTER – H Keenan; J Larmour, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, J O’Brien (J Gibson-Park 59); J Sexton (capt) (R Byrne 54), L McGrath; C Healy (E Byrne 51), S Cronin (R Kelleher 51), A Porter; S Fardy (R Molony 12-25, 64), J Ryan; R Ruddock (J Conan 69), W Connors (J van der Flier 60), C Doris.
REF – A Brace (IRFU)
‘If you look at their last 12 games we are the only side they don’t score bonus-point wins against’