The road taken by three Irish provinces in qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Challenge Cup comes under two distinct headings – accident or design.
Munster’s presence is a legacy of a disappointing series of results at the pool stage which came to a head with a demoralising defeat to Castres Olympique at Thomond Park. The French club were 23-point underdogs, which perhaps offers the starkest appraisal of where expectation lay before referee Matthew Carley’s opening whistle.
Clayton McMillan’s squad alone must determine where the result sits and how it will impact the rest of the season, a setback that serves to galvanise, or shred confidence further. The post-Christmas slump is as close to a mini-crisis as Munster have been for quite some time.
Things might have been unsettled behind the scenes under the previous regime but there was consistency on the pitch and a URC title to celebrate during that time. McMillan has brought a sense of calm to the club, and early results pointed towards an upturn in fortunes and renewed optimism on foot of a bright start to the season.
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It has been relatively short-lived when weighed against an unwelcome run of four consecutive defeats to Leinster, Ulster, Toulon and Castres, across two different tournaments. It is only the fifth time in the professional era that Munster have exited at the pool stage of the Champions Cup. The Castres defeat will hurt for players and supporters alike.
As I wrote last week, the margins in club rugby at this stage of the season are less forgiving as clubs jostle for position in the URC while simultaneously looking to progress in Europe, hoping to secure the bonus of home advantage in the knock-out stage of the tournament. The second to worst case scenario is dropping to the Challenge Cup.
This was the first round of genuine “must win” matches for the provinces, and Munster failed to capitalise on the opportunity at home. There is no getting away from the statistic that the Champions Cup sheds just eight teams after the pool stages.
The review of the Castres defeat will break down along similar and familiar lines of late, with aspects of their performance genuinely strong, but an inability to maintain that level of execution across 80 minutes, insurmountable. The continuity play, attacking intent and decision-making can be excellent, but when the tempo drops, Munster struggle to pick up and regain momentum.
There does not appear to be a glaring issue in personnel terms. Individuals are performing, with Tom Farrell, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey and Tadhg Beirne among them. There is impact from the bench through the likes of Brian Gleeson, Dan Kelly and Edwin Edogbo, but it is the collective cohesion that breaks down too easily, where the team display amounts to less than the sum of its parts.
What does Munster’s crushing Champions Cup exit mean for Ireland?
The fault lines are identifiable, yet they recur. The definition of madness is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome; Munster have been guilty of that for several weeks in a row.
Change takes time at any club, but very few coaches are afforded that luxury completely independent of results as the recently sacked New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson will attest. He was shown the door two years into his contract despite a 74 per cent win ratio.
Leo Cullen suffered early losses as he bedded in as head coach, winning only one of six European pool matches before finishing the season strongly with a place in the Pro 12 final. Richie Murphy took over at Ulster last season, and despite a tough campaign, put in place a coaching framework and a playing structure that has allowed the province to flourish.
Pressure is building on Munster, and the upcoming match against the Dragons in Cork next Friday night offers an opportunity to stem the tide. Between now and the end of the season, the focus will need to be on individual responsibility, primarily discipline, followed by set-piece accuracy and basic catch-pass execution.
Ulster, in contrast, have found a game plan that is modern, shiny and effective, one that brings the best out of their established players while allowing newcomers to shine. Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey, Tom Stewart and Iain Henderson are playing with visible enjoyment, while the Ward brothers, Zac and Bryn, and Nathan Doak are posing some interesting questions for Ireland head coach Andy Farrell.
What is most impressive is the simplicity of Ulster’s approach. Rugby is still about securing quick ball to get over the gainline, and Ulster are doing that exceptionally well despite clear set-piece issues of their own against Stade Français.
Their point of difference is continuity, keeping the ball alive through offloads or the footwork required to create linebreaks. Once a breach is made, there is a collective understanding that the opposition are vulnerable. This is when rugby becomes less prescriptive, when appreciating that defensive lines become disjointed and as that transpires, the value of attacking players holding space and width.
It becomes about reading body language, timing runs and delivering passes to exploit the space created elsewhere. Crisp passing, attacking footwork, ball presentation and ruck accuracy are the hallmarks of a team focused on fundamentals rather than structure.
Connacht, too, have made it to the knock-out stage of the Challenge Cup given a couple of wins at home. Stuart Lancaster will be afforded more time with his primary group of players to evolve that preferred playing style. They won’t be handicapped by many international call-ups.
Leinster are the only Irish side still in the Champions Cup. They will be content with a win on the road in the south of France, even if the performance itself did not inspire. It is, however, a good place to be, with the first must-win game of the season under their belt and a Round of 16 home tie secured.
The knack of winning is something a team never wants to give up. Aesthetically they should take a little inspiration from the way Ulster are currently playing the game.
