Irish show the way again as Ospreys but Blues are running out of excuses
WHAT excuse are Cardiff Blues and the Ospreys going to make for another European calamity?
They can’t use the Guinness Pro12 this season because Leinster and Munster didn’t just reach the semi-finals of the continent’s prized Champions Cup but did it in style, blitzing Wasps and record four-time winners Toulouse.
Dai Young’s star-studded Wasps were put in their place during a 32-17 defeat in front of a crowd of 50,266 – yes, you read it right – at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium while Munster went on the rampage during a 41-16 hammering of Toulouse in front of a 26,200 sellout in Limerick.
Blues and Ospreys weren’t even in Europe’s showpiece but managed to blow gilt-edged opportunities to reach the semifinals of the second-tier Challenge Cup.
Ospreys bottled a fourth European quarter-final. losing 25-21 to a Stade Francais team which possesses a lamentable away record this campaign and was reduced to 14 men at the Principality Stadium for most of the second half following a sending off.
And the Blues pressed the selfdestruct button and blew up on the fitness front at Gloucester by throwing away the lead with needless substitutions and some none-existent defending against a Gloucester side that is renowned for blowing hot and cold to lose 46-26.
As for Newport Gwent Dragons, they lost against Russian side Enisei-STM and a secondstring Worcester Warriors at the group stage, yet, and this is remarkable, are the sole Welsh entity to have reached a European semi-final in the last six years.
The only region which I’m not going to take issue with is the Scarlets for they arguably overachieved in this season’s starstudded Champions Cup with victories over Toulon and Sale Sharks before drawing with holders Saracens.
But, when it comes to punching above their weight, nobody can compete with Munster for, on paper, their squad is inferior to that of the Ospreys and the Blues.
Ospreys squad contains Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, Dan Biggar, Sam Davies, Nicky Smith, Scott Baldwin, Dan Lydiate, Bradley Davies, Eli Walker, James King, Ashley Beck and emerging talents like Keelan Giles, Sam Underhill and Olly Cracknell.
Blues have Sam Warburton, Gethin Jenkins, Gareth Anscombe, Alex Cuthbert, Kristian Dacey, Lloyd Williams, Tom James, Josh Navidi, Nick Williams, Ellis Jenkins, Josh Navidi, Matthew Morgan, Steve Shingler. Rhys Gill, Matthew Rees, and Super Rugby winners Rey Lee-Lo and Willis Halaholo on their cast list with too many others to mention.
Go through the Munster squad man for man and you won’t convince me it’s better than that of the Ospreys or Blues.
Yet Munster have reached their 12th European Cup semi-final in 22 tournaments. They have lost just four of their 16 quarter-finals. Between them, the Welsh regions have reached the last eight of the Cup just nine times and the semis twice since being formed in the summer of 2003.
During the same period, Leinster have lifted it on three occasions and Munster twice – Ulster match the Welsh regions in being massive under-achievers since being crowned champions in 1999.
And Leinster and Munster have silenced the doom-mongers who panned the Pro12 after none of its representatives qualified for last season’s Champions Cup quarter-finals.
Those knockers had gleefully predicted money-loaded French and English clubs would dominate European combat but they’d failed to take into account a couple of key factors.
The first was that Irish rugby was rebuilding following the retirement of world greats Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell, stars like Ronan O’Gara, Gordon D’Arcy, David Wallace, Alan Quinlan and a whole host of others.
Leinster were always going to recover because their average home gate is one of the best in European rugby. They also generate massive amounts in sponsorship, have the history, pedigree and a desirable home for imports in Dublin.
Munster are a different story... they have had money problems and have been resigned, like the Welsh regions, to signing secondrate foreigners.
But they parachuted in Rassie Erasmus, the former Springbok who is rated by many as South Africa’s best coach, above Anthony Foley to turn around their fortunes.
They were rank outsiders to reach the knockout stage from a group containing Carter’s French champions Racing Metro, Leicester Tigers and Glasgow Warriors but confounded the odds.
The sad death of Foley was the catalyst and the wave of emotion initially carried them along. But, most importantly, the wins that rolled in gave them the confidence they had been lacking.
And there’s also the importance and power of the red jersey to Munster’s players and supporters, or the blue to Leinster’s.
I’m not saying the Welsh regions, particularly the Ospreys and Scarlets, aren’t as committed to their jerseys but they seem to take it to a whole different level the other side of the Irish Sea.
Perhaps some of the coaching in Ireland is better but it always strikes me the big difference when it comes to Europe is psychological and belief.
Ospreys, when they possessed one of the strongest squads in world rugby, never got past the quarter-finals while the Blues should be on par with Leinster in terms of being a brand name, being based in a capital, having major sponsors and the goodwill of companies in Cardiff but have had years of under-performing and under-achieving.
Mark Hammett had the right idea when he attempted to change the culture and playing personnel at the Blues but the regime he attempted to brought in was gruelling and some players quickly rebelled against his methods. The former New Zealand hooker was gone in a matter of months but the Blues aren’t much better now when it comes to grinding out results.
And the Ospreys just don’t know how to get over the finish line in Europe when it comes to the knock-out stage.
But, in my opinion, the biggest problem with what should be Wales’ top two regions lies upstairs in the head with, as All Blacks great Justin Marshall and the late Jerry Collins said when they was with the Ospreys, an inferiority complex when it comes to crunch time in the Cup.