The Province Formerly Known As Munster 2018-19

[OTT]

That’s a red touches of BOD there.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Not that it matters for the game but jeez Garces came to that decision far too quickly. I think Itoje and Koch should both be cited there, not sure if they deserve a punishment but it should be looked at.

[wixfjord]

Just not good enough. Munster's only real attacking move came from an illegal scrum turnover on Sarries line.

Felix Jones is absolutely stealing a living. I appreciate Earls and Carbery would add something, but he has done nothing with that backline. Hoping for individual brilliance isn't enough.

You cannot rely on your forwards and a relentless intensity alone to win games when it comes to playing three of the four top teams in Europe. It's fine in a group, but won't win you a trophy.

Until JVG et al accept that, Munster aren't going to go any further in Europe.

[wixfjord]

Sarries are an immense side. Completely suffocating.
I think we'll be underdogs if we win tomorrow, but I'd hope we'll threaten them far more than Munster have.

[OTT]

Not that it matters for the game but jeez Garces came to that decision far too quickly. I think Itoje and Koch should both be cited there, not sure if they deserve a punishment but it should be looked at.

Felt like the decision was made based on score, time left and the non breaking of shoulder/neck.

Ridiculous.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

Get the feeling that Munster never believed they could win this.

they are missing a few key players.. earls, carbery are missed badly. saracens look very good tbh.

[Twist]

Not that it matters for the game but jeez Garces came to that decision far too quickly. I think Itoje and Koch should both be cited there, not sure if they deserve a punishment but it should be looked at.

Felt like the decision was made based on score, time left and the non breaking of shoulder/neck.

Ridiculous.

Agree, one yellow was scant punishment for that


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[LeRouxIsPHat]

Get the feeling that Munster never believed they could win this.

they are missing a few key players.. earls, carbery are missed badly. saracens look very good tbh.

Weren't they the only players they were missing?

I like Rory Scannell but think they need an upgrade at 12 and 15. They need more power up front and the option of a proper 7 (who isn't Cloete) but there are some young lads who could step up there. I know he's not popular on here, but Zebo would have been really good for them today IMO. You could see the frustration from Murray when Haley dropped that offload, they need more quality.

I think it's obvious what's missing...more Leinster players!

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Just thinking that I can't really see Murray, POM, or Earls winning the Champions Cup at this stage.

[Blue not red blood]

Rumour has it that Cork City Council ate going to name an estate after Peter OMahoney.
It’s a long row of semis

[hugonaut]

Get the feeling that Munster never believed they could win this.

they are missing a few key players.. earls, carbery are missed badly. saracens look very good tbh.

Saracens looked extremely impressive, just rolled over Munster in that second half. First half was tighter than I thought it would be.

To be frank, if you just go by the team-sheets, Saracens win nine out of ten games against Munster. They have better, more experienced players in most positions, and their coaching staff have been outstanding for six or seven years at this stage.

Before the game, I'd have given Munster the edge at outside centre [Chris Farrell over Lozowski], scrum-half [Murray over Spencer], tighthead [Ryan over Lamositele] and blindside [O'Mahony over Rhodes] ... Spencer outplayed Murray, Lamositele outplayed Ryan, but otherwise it ran to form.

[Oldschool]

Get the feeling that Munster never believed they could win this.

They weren't the only ones.

[blockhead]

For years I have read/heard how great Munster fans are and how great their affinity for European matches is. Another great thread in the press is how there is a scramble for tickets and the lengths fans go to travel.

Today tickets are obviously not an issue and the stadium is at a guess roughly 30% empty and not that hard to get to.

Maybe it's because it's not in France

The poor attendance is down to the fact that no one like Saracens. Munster fans turned up as ususal but you cant expect them to fill the Ricoh on their own.
Regarding the game itself, anyone else think Leinster will pay a heavy price for Munsters defeat today?

[wixfjord]

Munster fan went onto the pitch to confront Billy V after the game.

Let's just say those shorts wouldn't have been so white had Billy taken a few steps forward.

[Ruckedtobits]

Until Munster evolve the skill-set to play against the physically big teams with more than just their pack playing one-out rugby, they cannot hope to progress beyond semi-finals.

The absence of a game plan with some subtlety and use of the short side or the back three in mid-field makes Munster easy to play against if their opponents have the physicality to compete at the breakdown. Sarries did that constantly and regularly countered-rucked Munster off the ball when Munster had entered with possession.

Sarries are very tough to play against, but no team will beat them at the breakdown, unless they can spread out the Sarries forwards by increasing the tempo of the game.

IMO, neither Toulouse nor Leinster will attempt to overpower Sarries at the breakdown, but either team will attack them in mid-field and with quick hands down the shortside. Beating Sarries will require huge effort but it is possible.

As for the BT commentary, anybody who honesly thought that was a great game has led a very sheltered rugby career. It was bog stardard and full of mistakes and penalties and the referee was no better than the majority of the players.

[nc6000]

Regarding the game itself, anyone else think Leinster will pay a heavy price for Munsters defeat today?

Munster just don't have the players they need to compete against a squad like Saracens so I'll guess they'll have to come from somewhere.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

There's a fair bit of chat on Twitter about how BT treated the Vunipola issue. I can see why people would disagree with him being given MOTM and think I agree. The optics just aren't good and I didn't think it was such a standout performance that he had to get it. I also think Healey always had it in mind to give it to him, seemed like he was making a point about it IMO. As Sinead O'Carroll said on Twitter, it gave him the chance to double down on his comments in the interview.

I can see both points of view on that one, but not the way they were treating the issue in general. It annoyed me that they were acting as if he had had a tough week because something terrible had happened him. That's bullshit tbf and they should have called out what he said and made a bigger deal of him being punished for it. I get that it's a tricky position to be in but they got the tone all wrong IMO.

[OTT]

There's a fair bit of chat on Twitter about how BT treated the Vunipola issue. I can see why people would disagree with him being given MOTM and think I agree. The optics just aren't good and I didn't think it was such a standout performance that he had to get it. I also think Healey always had it in mind to give it to him, seemed like he was making a point about it IMO. As Sinead O'Carroll said on Twitter, it gave him the chance to double down on his comments in the interview.

I can see both points of view on that one, but not the way they were treating the issue in general. It annoyed me that they were acting as if he had had a tough week because something terrible had happened him. That's bullshit tbf and they should have called out what he said and made a bigger deal of him being punished for it. I get that it's a tricky position to be in but they got the tone all wrong IMO.

I thought they made him look like a victim who shone through in adversity the way they talked which he isn’t.

It would have been more honest if instead of saying what a great guy he is they said he’s as thick as a plank, that way you could have some sympathy for him in that he is just thick and knows no better.

[Barry]

Rumour has it that Cork City Council ate going to name an estate after Peter OMahoney.
It’s a long row of semis

PRESS RELEASE - Munster Rugby are pleased to announce that Viagra will replace Bank of Ireland as their main sponsor from the beginning of next season. Commenting on the appointment, club captain Peter O'Mahony commented that "we're willing to try anything that might get us beyond a semi".

[dropkick]

Rumour has it that Cork City Council ate going to name an estate after Peter OMahoney.
It’s a long row of semis

PRESS RELEASE - Munster Rugby are pleased to announce that Viagra will replace Bank of Ireland as their main sponsor from the beginning of next season. Commenting on the appointment, club captain Peter O'Mahony commented that "we're willing to try anything that might get us beyond a semi".

Munster are doing well to get to semis on a consistent basis. Don't have the x factor to get beyond that.