Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
David Corkery
As I sat down to write this article on Saturday evening after Connacht made Munster look like a team that had no interest whatsoever in even competing, I did so by asking myself, does anyone really care anymore?
I don’t want to take anything from a Connacht side that played a great game of rugby in front of their home supporters, but Connacht are no world beaters and judging from the way the Munster players allowed themselves to be bullied from pillar to post, I’m beginning to wonder even if the players care any longer.
During the week in the build-up to this very important game, Munster head coach Clayton McMillan made a statement that might just have a hidden message in it.
When someone who is contracted until the end of the 2028 season states, I’m fully committed to the team until the end of this season. To me what it means is that as soon as this season is done, I’ll be packing my bags and heading for home.
This all stems from the farcical situation that arose when Munster announced that Roger Randal was going to be appointed to replace Mike Prendergast as attack coach on a two-year contract, a decision which caused controversy and uproar due to previous allegations of rape against the New Zealander.
Randal was initially charged with rape in 1997, but the case did not proceed as the complainant dropped the charges. Randle has always denied the allegation against him however, the smoke that this accusation created still hovers above the head of Randle and for many in Munster his appointment was not right.
Clearly McMillon who previously worked with Randal on a coaching capacity and had instigated the appointment was furious when Munster confirmed they had “mutually agreed” to cancel the deal with Randle, and I just wonder if McMillon has lost all respect and confidence for those who made this decision.
If this is to be the case and McMillon is preparing his exit you can be sure that the players will know this and it might just explain the lack of hunger that they showed during this game.
In order to beat any Connacht side who almost always have to rely on their never say die attitude to see them beat the more skilful and talented sides they play against, you must first win the arm wrestle and on Saturday evening it seemed that the only arm wrestle the Munster players were interested in was the one to see who would get on the bus first so they could sit in the back seats for the journey home.
On a very favourable evening and pristine surface for running rugby it took Munster the bones of seventy minutes to register a single point on the scoreboard and at this point the game was over as a contest. It almost seemed that Connacht had decided to make a charitable donation towards Munster’s cause by letting them score so they could feature on their new scoreboard.
Having scored three first half tries through Ben Murphy, Shayne Hurley-Langton and Ben Murphy the men from the west secured their bonus point fourth try within two minutes after Craig Casey darted over for his side’s only score of the game.
The twenty minute red card shown towards Munster’s hooker Diarmuid Barron in the first half didn’t exactly help Munsters cause however, for those who would like to use this as a contributing factor as to why the visitors lost the game, may I suggest you consider these two statistics.
Clean breaks Connacht 11, Munster 2 and defenders beaten Connacht 31, Munster 11.
Now, I don’t claim to be any kind of tactical genius when it comes to dissecting a game of rugby however, what I can confirm is that when I see indicators like this I can assure you that Munster’s hunger to win the all-important gain line was left somewhere behind in their training grounds in Limerick. I would even go as far as to suggest that it never even left the white board in their meeting room.
Like flies getting swatted away from above your dinner plate the Munster players were brushed aside by Connacht’s rampaging ball carriers and this isn’t because they lacked the strength to take them down, it’s because their hunger, attitude and belief has been completely eroded by the blazers who make the decisions in how the province is run.
Yes, the absence of some key players would have given Connacht much confidence to take the game directly to Munster, but this is where I would expect the youth of the southern province to stand front and centre and grasp this opportunity to claim ownership of the jersey.
Apart from Jeremy Loughman, Craig Casey, Alex Nankivell and substitutes Brian Gleeson and Alex Kendellen I’d be very happy to replace everyone else with players from the AIL for the now do or die game against the Lions in Limerick next week.
They may not have the same physical capabilities as a professional, but I can guarantee you that they’d not go down without a fight and that losing would hurt.