Munster still way off pace but tyros provide optimism
DONAL LENIHAN spoke for everyone tuning into this game when he lamented a water break on the hour mark. The last thing this game needed was yet another stoppage. The Munster and Ireland captain was on co-comms duty for RTE and Lenihan wondered aloud why both sets of players needed an interval in play to hydrate? It would make sense on a a sweltering day in the Pretorian highveld, but Leeside in early October? Lenihan’s irritation in the commentary box was palpable and he wasn’t alone.
This was dour stuff and it was dragging on interminably. A jittery performance from South African referee AJ Jacobs didn’t help matters but both teams have to take responsibility. Especially Munster. They got the job done after a winless opening assignments in Cardiff Arms Park and Rodney Parade. Nothing else.
They looked most effective when they went route one and kept it simple
Graham Rowntree’s squad simply have to find another gear, and quickly. They can get away with a performance like this against the likes of Zebre, but a quick look through the looming schedule will focus minds.
Munster head for Galway on Friday to face Connacht, who are winless after three rounds and getting a bit desperate. Then it’s the Bulls at Thomond Park before the big one against Leinster in the Aviva Stadium. A trip to Belfast to take on Ulster rounds off this block of URC games before the autumn internationals take centre stage.
It’s daunting on paper and the big question is if Munster can match the top sides? For all the talk about Mike Prendergast trying to evolve this side’s attack, there is a nagging sense that this squad are lacking the personnel to implement it. The front five and midfield looks desperately short of power and punch at the moment. It’s been that way for quite some time. It was the same story in Cork yesterday. Tour de forces from Tadgh Beirne and Peter O’Mahony will only get them so far.
There was a moment in the 37th minute which summed up Munster’s current problems. The hosts had managed to carve out a 21-0 lead, although the first of Niall Scannell’s brace of tries seemed rather fortuitous after the Munster hooker appeared to drop the ball over the line.
You could sense the anxiety lifting in the home side’s ranks. This would have been a stressful week after the fallout from the shock loss to the Dragons, but the familiar failings began to reappear.
And three minutes from the break, we got a snapshot of Munster’s issues. After yet another attacking move had broken down, Craig Casey sent a pass back to Ben Healy, who had taken up a position deep in the backfield.
The Munster out-half shaped for a clearing kick but then decided to have a gallop across the field. Attacking options for Healy were sparse so he decided to give a switch pass to a static Fineen Wycherley. The Munster lock wasn’t alive to that possibility and dropped Healy’s pass cold. It’s been a familiar sight in this new campaign. The province are trying expand their game but this is clearly going to be a slow burn.
Truthfully, Munster looked most effective when they went route one and kept things simple. It’s exactly how their first three tries were sourced, with Niall Scannell (twice) and Keynan Knox all crashing over from close range. Munster’s driving lineout maul was central to all those scores. It’s pretty much the only thing which functioned effectively during a fitful first half.
The opposition needs to be considered as well. Zebre have caught the eye in recent weeks, but they had a lot of issues in Musgrave Park. For one thing, their lineout was a shambles - losing seven of their own throws before the break. Spare a thought for Giampietro Ribaldi, the Zebre hooker who had a nightmare outing. Unsurprisingly, the 25-year-old didn’t appear in the second half, with the experienced Luca Bigi stepping in. They had lost both of their centres to injury as well and when Franco Smith was sent on to plug a gap, the young midfielder didn’t last too long either.
So, you would have backed Munster to put this patched-up Parma outfit to the sword when play resumed? Instead it was Zebre who struck first when replacement back Lorenzo Pani raced onto a kick ahead to score a try against the run of play.
Rowntree sent on Conor Murray and Joey Carbery to shake things up, but the malaise had set in by then. Worryingly, the same unforced errors and indecision reared its head, again.
Positives? There was some energetic displays from Edwin Edogbo, the 19-year-old Cobh-born second row, while 18-year-old backrower Ruadhan Quinn made a bright late cameo – becoming the youngest player ever to line out for the province at senior level in the process.
And the final whistle, of course. For that, everyone was thankful. Munster aren’t exactly setting pulses racing at the moment, and that’s the big worry, going forward.