PAUL O’CONNELL made an astute comment in the wake of the shuddering defeat of Perpignan on Sunday. The captain noted the southern province’s need to up their game, considering the standards set by Leinster these past few weeks.
It was a valid assertion and if not for what had just occurred it would have switched the focus back onto the European champions’ back-to-back destruction of the Llanelli Scarlets.
Perpignan are the French champions. Perpignan had not lost at home in Europe for six years with only Wasps and Leicester previously storming the Stade Aime Giral. The bones of this Munster group received their most comprehensive European hiding at the venue a few seasons back.
The Heineken Cup tends to work on a tit-for-tat basis. Clermont beat Leicester in France. The Tigers return the favour at Welford Road. See Ulster rip through Stade Francais up in Ravenhill last week and then suffer the consequences in Paris on Sunday. Angry teams love the chance to atone against the same opponents seven days later in their own backyard.
To come out and overpower Perpignan to the tune of 37-14, with a bonus point tossed in, after edging them by a single point in Limerick requires further examination. It is an anomaly only Munster could achieve.
The French media gave them their due, saying they achieved this near miraculous feat by altering their tactics. The perception in L’Equipe and the Midi Olympique Journal was that a return to form by Ronan O’Gara, aided by typical grunt up front helped them see off – though only barely – the French at Thomond Park.
Something similar was expected from Munster at the sweltering Catalonia amphitheatre. But Munster paid no heed to the drums. It’s long established as a waste of time to try and break the Cashel Rock. Denis Leamy almost gratefully accepted the flying head butt from Jerome Schuster.
Still, victory was born in the coalface as L’Equipe reported: “Munster won six turnovers in the first 20 minutes and that provided the platform for victory . . . after the break Perpignan simply stopped playing.
“The blood and gold (Perpignan colours) are very disillusioned as much as they were after their 9-8 defeat to Treviso in the opening round. That inadvertent defeat and now twice losing to Munster has without doubt condemned them to not making the knockout stages of the H Cup.”
Midi Olympique took a similar line in doubting the supposed Munster decline as predicted by Stuart Barnes in the Sunday Times. Barnes must have felt somewhat uncomfortable on the Sky Sports commentary perch as he witnessed the opposite of his prophecy transpire before his experienced eyes.
“Munster demonstrated on the Aime Giral pitch that they are once again serious candidates to win in Europe this season,” reported Midi Olympique.
“Munster changed their tactics radically from the first game and kept the ball in hand. As a result, the Irish were able to dictate the rhythm of the game.”
