Lansdowne's disappointment in defeat was acute, aware that they had allowed a golden opportunity to pass unclaimed, an ironic contrast on an afternoon when expectations should have been minimal. Travelling without four top players, Gordon D'Arcy, Marcus Dillon, Kurt McQuilkin and Reggie Corrigan, the Dublin club might have considered on their trip to Limerick the old adage that "it is better to travel in hope than arrive".
Young Munster were coming off a particularly inept performance against Blackrock College in their last outing. Restored to the citadel that is Tom Clifford Park, comfortable again in familiar surroundings, where the voices and the faces on the sideline inspire fierce commitment, Munsters would present an ominous prospect for any visiting team, especially one pared to the bone.
Ballymena's second XV had been thrashed 36-0 earlier in the season but to their credit, Lansdowne, unburdened by expectation produced a quality of rugby that belied the conditions and their diminished resources. Mud wrestling rather than rugby would have been more appropriate on a Clifford Park pitch saturated by incessant, heavy morning rain.
The pitch degenerated into a morass of mud and the players soon became indistinguishable. Indeed, Lansdowne changed their jerseys at half-time to offer referee David Tyndall a brief respite in the identifications stakes, one that he may have needed given the number of knocks on, forward passes and off the ball jersey pulling that went unpunished.
Against this backdrop it was all the more laudable that the combatants managed to produce several passages of excellent rugby, only occasionally lapsing into the laziness of the ill directed boot. The exhibition provided by the Lansdowne pack of picking and driving through was as good as one might see all season: runners coming at pace, choosing good angles and aware of the support players.
Munsters penchant for fanning out defensively allowed Lansdowne to punch great holes through the middle. Unfortunately for the visitors, events took a decided downturn when possession was released to the backs. Glue-like underfoot conditions aside, Lansdowne's shambling backplay threatened to undermine the good work of the excellent Colin McEntee, his side's most effective buttress. His early departure through injury would prove significant.
Every one of the Lansdowne pack grafted hard and, but for a mauling in the set scrums, can be proud of the afternoon's work, or at least the first 40 minutes. Trailing 3-0 but with the benefit of a strong wind to come, they appeared perfectly placed until they gifted Munsters replacement scrum half Mike Prendergast a try which he took with great aplomb.
From a scrum on the Young Munster 22, Colin McEntee attempted a one-handed flip pass to scrum half David O'Mahony as the latter raced to the shortside: Prendergast read the move, intercepted and covered the 70 metres tantalisingly ahead of a posse of Lansdowne pursuers. Young Munster coach Brian Hickey smiled: "I'd have said that at 3-0 we did not have a prayer.
"The try was pure optimism. The double bit of luck there was I don't think Toby (Derek Tobin the original scrum half stretchered with a knee injury in the first half) would have made it beyond the half-way line. I Think that over the 80 minutes we played the cleverer rugby, although I would not want to take away from the fantastic rugby that Lansdowne played in the first half."
Munsters pack lifted the collective level of their display to match that of Denis O'Meara, Ger Earls and Peter Clohessy all of whom excelled in several facets of play. Mick Lynch kicked intelligently and Noel O'Meara gave his forwards a target in setting up ball. Lynch's 18-metre penalty gave Munsters a 3-0 interval lead, improved upon by Prendergast's try.
Lansdowne full back Rory Kearns closed the deficit with a penalty but for all the huffing and puffing the visitors never really threatened the Munsters line, a scenario prevalent at the other end as well. Lansdowne coach Mick Cosgrave claimed: "If they hadn't got the intercept try we would have won the game. I'd say we would have ground out a few penalties but we were trying to chase the game and that was a disaster.
"I am not disappointed at how we played, I thought the forwards were excellent, I am disappointed by the result though."
SCORING SEQUENCE: 33 mins: Lynch penalty, 3-0; 49: Prendergast try, 8-0; 62: Kearns penalty, 8-3.
YOUNG MUNSTER: M Lynch; D O'Dowd, S McCahill, N O'Meara, R Larkin; A O'Halloran, D Tobin; D Clohessy, M Hayes, P Clohessy (capt); M O'Halloran, D O'Meara; D Edwards, M Webber, G Earls. Replacements: M Prendergast for Tobin (33 mins); B Buckley for Edwards (55 mins); M Fitzgerald for D Clohessy (65 mins).
LANSDOWNE: R Kearns; B Glennon, S Horgan, Dave O'Mahony, N Gunne; B Everitt, David O'Mahony (capt); E Bohan, O Ennis, A McKeen; S O'Connor, G Fulcher; S McEntee, C McEntee, L Toland. Replacements: J O'Beirne for C McEntee (51 mins); R Corrigan for Dave O'Mahony (78 mins).
Referee: D Tyndall (Leinster).
