Munster cannot let the Toulouse defeat be the game that defines their season. It must be a launch pad from which to push for silverware in the United Rugby Championship (URC). In the circumstances it’s important to take the positives, and there were many from last weekend, and stick it in your kitbag for upcoming matches.
At the moment there are mixed emotions vying for supremacy, disappointment at the outcome, the physical soreness and the mental fatigue, but in there somewhere is a realisation that with a smidgeon of luck, Munster would be facing Leinster in a Heineken Champions Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Munster produced rugby of the highest quality, evident in the three tries, but also in the general performance that was their best of the season. Occasionally that still is not enough, and you need a couple of decisions to go your way.
The colour of the card shown to Toulouse secondrow Rory Arnold, yellow rather than red, was for me, the primary tipping point, more so than place-kicking woes. For all those who lament red cards ruining contests, last Saturday represented the other side of that coin. The team that transgressed, stepped outside the laws, did not get punished and ultimately won the match.
I am still at a loss as to why a tackled player must land on his head to warrant a red card if the action is clearly dangerous and reckless. I have written on this previously and until punishment is severe enough to change player behaviour and technique, tackles of this nature will continue to be prevalent.
Source of embarrassment
When you break it down, there are aspects of the tackle that are perfectly acceptable and legitimate from a technical perspective. The contact point for the initial tackling motion is exactly what we want players to do, but the moment when Arnold lifts his trailing arm and with it, Simon Zebo’s legs, all bets are off.
I played in an era when a tip tackle was rare but often celebrated by team-mates, and a source of embarrassment for the player on the receiving end. There is both a technique and a choice involved. When a player wins the contact, there is a decision to be made, whereby the tackler drives his opponent back and gravity and momentum take over, with the ball carrier crashing to the ground several feet behind the tackle point.
The alternative involves the tackler whipping up his arms, lifting his victim’s legs and slamming his opponent into the ground. There is a more sinister undertone to the second one, and yes, I have done it, but you understand and accept that you might hurt the player.
Arnold’s expression on the sideline was exactly what you would expect of a player who made a crazy tackle decision and got away with it. No one wants a match skewed by a single action of foul play, but player behaviour must change on safety grounds.
The scoreboard highlighted that there was nothing to separate the teams after 100 minutes but diving a little deeper into the content of the game, Munster can be proud of the way they matched Toulouse for the most part in the categories of flair and skill. The Irish province certainly lost nothing in comparison.
Aesthetically Matthis Lebel’s try on 66 minutes was a thing of beauty and shows just how dangerous Toulouse can be when they introduce training ground precision and execution to the match environment.
The synchronisation was top class, perfect set piece ball, excellent movement and disguise, a perfectly weighted and timed pass, and a glorious finish. That moment of brilliance did not completely outshine Munster’s contribution, as Mike Haley’s try came from superb build-up play that has been bubbling to the surface in the last few performances.
Munster have benefitted from his increasing prominence in recent matches as an attacking fulcrum. He reads a game intelligently and possesses the ability to keep the ball alive under severe pressure.
Damian de Allende’s try which finished off the Exeter Chiefs at Thomond Park in the previous round would not have materialised except for Haley’s wonderful handling and ability to get the ball away to Zebo under incredible pressure.
Emotionally this is a hard week for Munster and time away from rugby will be an important part of their rehabilitation as they prepare for a return trip to the Aviva stadium on Saturday week when they take on Leinster in the final game of the league stage of the URC. The expectation is that there is more to come from the men in red.
I thought that Leicester Tigers' <a class="search" href='javascript:window.parent.actionEventData({$contentId:"7.1213540", $action:"view", $target:"work"})' polopoly:contentid="7.1213540" polopoly:searchtag="tag_person">Ellis Genge</a> was mistaken in his confrontational post-game press conference in which he asserted that his team should have won the match
While Munster will benefit from the two-week lead-in, Leinster will need to line up that 50-player plus squad resources for duty over the coming weeks. The first port of call is the Toulouse game on Saturday, a mouthwatering prospect, even for the neutrals.
Leinster will need to be better than their performance at Welford Road, particularly in the second 40 minutes. If they sit back at any point against Toulouse, they are unlikely to finish on the right side of the result. The French side can chase down – as they did against Munster – teams because they have both the belief and quality to do so.
I thought that Leicester Tigers' Ellis Genge was mistaken in his confrontational post-game press conference in which he asserted that his team should have won the match, the reality that they came up considerably short against Leinster at vital momentum-defining moments. Their set piece underperformed, the fireworks of Twickenham never materialised in the scrum and their lineout malfunctions undid most of the good work in securing useful field position.
The couple of times that George Ford managed to attack a fractured Leinster defensive line the home side coughed up unforced errors. Leinster extracted the points they needed to forge a winning position and then relied on their defence to see them home. The Tigers hadn't lost a home match all season, so it was a good effort.
It was a different match in orientation to the game at the Aviva stadium. Leinster, as favourites, dictated the tempo, and Leicester were not able to respond. When Toulouse drove the tempo Munster responded beautifully.
Leinster relied on key individuals within the team context for their success. Josh van der Flier remained so important on both sides of the ball. The work he does in defence is what you expect a world-class openside to contribute but the extra dimension he’s added to his game in attack is remarkable.
The way Leinster play with the ball in hand does not wait for players to be ready, to get into pods. Individuals must react quickly and Van der Flier has found his timing better than most; after all it is about playing to your strengths.
Caelan Doris relies on power with subtle changes in body angle and footwork, but for Van der Flier it is his timing on to the ball, textbook change of direction and acceleration that enables him to exploit gaps in the defence or, indeed, create them.
Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe alternated at scrumhalf keeping the tempo alive in almost everything they did. While this didn't translate into tries of the calibre of those that Munster scored it had an equally desirable outcome in that Leinster controlled possession and territory, which allowed them to maintain scoreboard pressure.
Leinster did enough against Tigers; playing away from home that would have been the order of the day. Leo Cullen’s charges may benefit from Munster’s efforts as a weary Toulouse make their way back to Dublin for this weekend’s match.
Painful lesson
There is a clear roadmap for Leinster to follow and they will have to bring a level of intensity and focus to everything they do that was not required in their victory at Welford Road. If they stop playing against Toulouse, they will not win.
Champion teams need to improve in every match, or at least be capable of improving to win the next duel. The graph is so steep and at no point does it plateau en route to the summit where trophies are handed out. Replicating is rarely sufficient.
In 2006 we won on the road against Toulouse but came undone against Munster 22 days later. The focus was to win in France, that was the driver, and when we achieved it, a switch was flicked in the subconscious.
The painful lesson that we were required to learn was that the only goal that matters is winning a final. There was barely a celebration when we beat Munster in 2009, the focus correctly attuned to winning a final.
There is no doubting Toulouse’s credentials as champions and a champion team; they showed that in the way they responded to a 10-point deficit going into the final quarter. The physical legacy from that match is impossible to gauge until you are stressed again as a player.
Adrenaline, anticipation, and excitement get you, as a player, to the next start line but it is impossible to know what is left in the tank. Toulouse will not welcome a second trip to Dublin in a week, not the travelling nor the hotels.
Leinster should be better for last weekend’s game, and they will need to be, if they are to progress that chase for a fifth star beyond next Saturday afternoon.
