MUNSTER GRIND IT OUT
O’Mahony try crucial as Munster see off the champions
But qualification will go right down to wire, warns Van Graan
SOMETIMES you need to win ugly and, boy, did Munster have to grind this one out.
Saracens, for all their bad press recently, remain a top-class side and they fronted up here in a big way.
The Premiership bad boys left six of their frontliners back home for this assignment, but they were more than a match for a fully-loaded Munster for the duration of this rain-soaked slugfest.
The conditions didn’t help. It was positively biblical for the entire second half, and it turned into a right scrap. It wasn’t pretty that’s for sure, but Munster got the job done, just.
The return meeting at Allianz Park next Saturday should be interesting. Saracens have inflicted plenty of pain on Munster in recent times. The province’s record of seven straight semi-final losses in this tournament is well-documented and it was the under-fire Londoners who were responsible for two of those recent failures: a 26-10 loss in the Aviva in 2017 and a 32-16 pummelling in Coventry last April.
In recent times, this juggernaut Saracens outfit were held up as the standard bearers in this competition. How could the likes of Munster get to their level and match their power game?
It has become clear in recent months that much of their success was built on dodgy foundations. There has long been a suspicion about this Saracens squad and namely how they were managing to assemble so many Test stars – sourced from across the globe – and stay within the strict salary cap set down by Premiership chiefs.
Alas, that has proved to be the case. Saracens are still reeling from their 35-point deduction and €6.3million fine. You’d imagine Mark McCall was targeting a ferocious defence of their European title this term, but the goals of this club have changed drastically since that stunning sanction. Rooted to the bottom of the Premiership on -18, they now face an almighty dogfight to preserve their topflight status this season.
They should achieve that goal in the coming months – despite their monstrous handicap – but seemingly their European exploits were shelved to focus on domestic matters. McCall opted to keep his main men at home for this trip to Limerick. When the team sheet dropped on Friday afternoon, there was no sign of Jamie George, George Kruis, the Vunipola brothers, Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly. Recent World Cup finalists one and all.
Despite those seismic omissions, this was a still a Saracens team loaded with quality, with the likes of
Maro Itoje, Will Skelton and Brad Barritt on board.
Munster could not afford any more slip-ups at home after that smash-and-grab draw against Racing in the opening round, and this was their opportunity to inflict some punishment on the second-string visitors. Instead, they got sucked into a dogfight.
Despite the absence of some key players, Saracens remain a welldrilled and utterly committed outfit. They pride themselves on their ‘Wolfpack’ blitz defence and they made life desperately awkward for Munster.
In fact, it was Saracens who made the early statement with Skelton and Itoje making their presence felt in a promising early raid. They came here to play, make no mistake about it.
Munster mixed the sublime with the ridiculous throughout a patchy first 40 minutes.
There were passages of real quality punctuated by basic errors and set-piece malfunctions. They very much remain a work in progress.
Stephen Larkham and Graham Rowntree are earning rave reviews for their work.
The impact of both assistant coaches was on full display during a promising 18-phase attack early in the contest which featured hard carrying, offloads, switches in play – the Larkham blueprint on full display and some Rowntree-inspired nous in the pack for good measure.
The pressure built and the decibel levels rose, but Stephen Archer spilled the ball as he got ready to make another charge, putting an end to an ominous attack.
An 18th-minute penalty from JJ Hanrahan was some reward for all their hard work and endeavour.
Itoje is widely hailed as one the best forwards on the planet and he was making a nuisance of himself here, carrying, cajoling and harassing the hosts at every turn.
He will count himself lucky for escaping punishment for a dodgy hit on Mike Haley at the breakdown, however. Munster had a Rory
Scannell try chalked off soon after when referee Romain Poite spotted a forward pass in the build-up.
But you could sense something coming.
It took 30 minutes of sheer toil, but the dam eventually burst.
Keith Earls made big inroads down the left touchline before being scythed down by the Saracens cover, but Peter O’Mahony was on hand to take Conor Murray’s pass and crash through Barritt to score. Hanrahan’s conversion made it 10-0 and some of the anxiety around the ground eased slightly.
Fittingly, Saracens had the final say of the half as scrum-half Ben Spencer knocked over a late penalty.
Both sides emerged after the break to be met with a deluge and a howling wind. This was going to be trench warfare. Conditions like this can be a leveller and Saracens fancied it.
And it got very, very messy as the rain poured down and the errors were noticeably creeping up. The
hosts had to wait until the 57th minute to finally get some possession in enemy territory.
Hanrahan pumped the ball downfield to set up a prime attacking platform but Niall Scannell’s lineout throw slipped through Tadhg Beirne’s grasp. That moment contained the story of the half there.
The tension around the stadium was palpable as Munster continued to defend a seven-point advantage heading into the contest’s final quarter.
It would finish with Arno Botha – on as second-half replacement for CJ Stander – copping a red card for catching Nick Tompkins with his forearm. Munster would survive a final raid when Jack O’Donoghue rose high to disrupt Saracens at the lineout.
Job done. Next weekend’s rematch across the water should be interesting indeed.
MUNSTER: M Haley; A Conway, C Farrell, R Scannell, K Earls; JJ Hanrahan, C Murray; J Cronin (L O’Connor 70), N Scannell (K O’Byrne 79), S Archer (J Ryan 55); J Kleyn (F Wycherley 62), B Holland; T Beirne (J O’Donoghue 62), P O’Mahony (capt), CJ Stander (A Botha 70).
Scorers: Tries: O’Mahony, con: Hanrahan, Pen: Hanrahan.
Red Card: A Botha
Saracens: M Gallagher; R Segun (M Malins 62), A Lozowski (N Tompkins 64), B Barritt (capt), A Lewington; M Vunipola, B Spencer (T Whiteley 69); R Barrington (R Carre 55), J Singleton, T Lamositele (J Ibuanokpe 64); W Skelton (J Kpoku 64), M Itoje; N Isiekwe, B Earl, J Wray. Scorer: Pen: Spencer.
Referee: Romain Poite (France).