RUGBY: There was nothing particularly new in Harlequins coach Mark Evans citing Munster's lack of pace out wide as the main reason for believing Alan Gaffney's team won't win the European Cup. It was just that this season's campaign more than any other has tended to reinforce the feeling.
What's more, Evans also heaped praise on Munster's defence, lineout and goal-kicking in coming to his assertion: "I think if you're going to win the European Heineken Cup you've got to have something in your back five.
"Christian Cullen does it to a degree whereby if he gets half a chance, he'll do something. But I look at the back five of Munster and I don't see it.
"If you compare like with like, if you look at the other big contenders: Leicester have got Geordan Murphy, they've got Ollie Smith, they've got Tuilagi. Look at Toulouse, they've got Vincent Clerc, Cedric Heymans, Poitrenaud, Gareth Thomas, they've got Jauzion. Biarritz have got Brusque, Jimmy Marlu, Bidabe. It's just a bit more fire-power." To which could be added the back fives of Leinster and Stade Français. "It's harder work for Munster to score tries, it really is. They're hard to score tries against and I'm not saying they can't do it, I'm just saying they wouldn't be my favourites, or anywhere near it. And they've got to go away now, haven't they?"
The vexed area of the breakdown was what prompted most navel contemplation by Munster. "There was a nervousness about our performance," said Gaffney. "I thought the occasion would have suited us more and there had been a buzz all week in training. But the ball we gave Strings (Peter Stringer) was awful and our work at the breakdown was just poor. Our backs have to take on as much responsibility as our forwards, and that wasn't happening."
Outhalf Paul Burke was quick to acknowledge the Harlequins performance: "They counter-rucked, they got hands in on the ball, they prevented some quick ball and we were probably a bit high at the breakdown at times.
"It is frustrating because we wanted to play a high-tempo game but Quins prevented us from doing that. It was a hard day at the office for Strings because he didn't get the ball he deserved."
Hooker Frankie Sheahan maintained it was still the team's goal to win the tournament - "we're not just looking to get to another quarter or another semi" - but conceded they would have to play better to do so. That said, when asked if he would be putting any money on Munster, he betrayed his shrewd Cork roots when retorting: "What price are we?"
