Out-thought, Outfought, Out-Munstered
Saracens display more unity and spirit than Van Graan’s men to add to debate about province losing their identity...
EVEN when Conor Murray booted that long-range penalty to make it 9-9 just before the break, there was a sense of inevitability about this. Even when Darren Sweetnam went over for his try on the hour mark, there was a sense of inevitability about this. When Billy Vunipola (it was always going to be him, wasn’t it?) muscled his way over to make the result safe with eight minutes of this brutal contest remaining, there was no shock – you could sense it coming for a quite a while. Munster were second best all afternoon. Another semi-final failure and more lessons to learn.
The inevitable inquest will soon begin as to why Munster keep failing at this juncture.
That’s now seven semi-final losses since Declan Kidney guided the province to their second Heineken Cup triumph in 2008.
Keith Earls is the last link to that stellar squad; he was sorely missed yesterday. As was Joey Carbery. Would the pair have made a difference in Coventry? Unlikely.
As was the case when these two sides met at Lansdowne Road in 2017, Saracens are simply a better rugby team. They are bigger, stronger and better coached.
The most galling thing to observe is that they appear to have a stronger sense of togetherness and team spirit than Munster.
This is the same Saracens that are being dogged by accusations of salary cap breaches. This is the same club that have little or no fanbase. They were easily outnumbered by Munster’s travelling support at the Ricoh Arena.
They are loaded with class players, but they also have a belief and a team culture that is not easily replicated. Saracens were feral in defence yesterday.
Some may look at their ‘Wolfpack’ mentality and cringe, but it is brutally effective.
In an excellent column published on the morning of the game, Donncha O’Callaghan recalled a trip at Allianz Park when he was plying
his trade with Worcester in the Premiership.
Saracens HQ is not located in the most salubrious of surroundings, with O’Callaghan likening it to a trip to Ikea. Two hours later, he would get back on the team bus and would sit there in awe of Saracens. Their intensity, togetherness and ruthlessness was off the charts. It was the same against Munster yesterday.
That wasn’t quite as traumatic as last season’s debacle in Bordeaux. Munster were in snooze mode for the first 30 minutes of that European semi-final against Racing 92 and they paid dearly.
They found themselves down 24-3 and never recovered. However, it was death by a thousand cuts in the Ricoh. Slowly, but surely, Saracens turned the screw.
There will be talk of the future and how Munster can break this glass ceiling in the weeks and months ahead. Recruitment, fasttracking of fresh talent to the senior ranks and a fresh voice on the backroom team will all be mooted.
But is there a deeper issue within this Munster squad?
Something not as palpable but an essential component to their past success. Last week, Tyler Blyendaal spoke about the ‘DNA’ of Munster. Maybe the modern game has no room for the ‘Brave and the Faithful’ spirit of the glory years.
Saracens were on another level yesterday. Munster met plenty of teams in the past with box office squads and bigger budgets, but they prided themselves on being a better team. Munster’s sense of identity has long been lauded as a strength of the province. Maybe those days are over. That last Heineken Cup victory 11 years ago has been referenced plenty of times in recent weeks.
Following their maiden European triumph in 2006, Kidney knew his team needed to evolve as an attacking force.
The Kiwi trio of Doug Howlett, Rua Tipoki and Lifeimi Mafi were drafted in to provide Munster with a new attacking edge along with Aussie playmaker Paul Warwick.
At their core, however, was a strong base of local talent, who were born and bred in the province. Munster had 18 locals in that matchday squad that defeated Toulouse in that 2008 finale in Cardiff (Ian Dowling was born in Kilkenny but learned the ropes at Shannon).
In the moments that mattered, that would make a huge difference.
Fast forward to yesterday and the make-up of Munster’s squad is stark.
Yesterday’s matchday 23 had 11 players from outside the parish. This isn’t a criticism of those players. Munster are a vastly better team for having the likes of CJ Stander, Jean Kleyn and Chris Farrell among their ranks, but that gradual loss of identity has surely had an effect on some level?
Those emotionally-charged performances that were the hallmark of Munster displays in Europe are few and far between these days. It was that chip-on-the-shoulder, underdog mentality that pushed them to another level on daunting away days like this. It has been missing for quite some time.
Coaches are always talking about fine margins when you get the rarefied atmosphere of European or Test level.
If Munster want to get to that next level, everything must be up for debate – including the identity of the whole operation.
‘MAYBE THE DAYS OF THE UNDERDOG MENTALITY ARE OVER’