Our hopes of another clean sweep for the Irish provinces were dashed, but the weekend wasn’t short on excitement.
Miracle match No 2465
Munster, eh? Bloody hell. Over the history of the Heineken Cup, there has been no shortage of epic wins by the men in red. From the original miracle match to two successful finals right up last year’s win over Harlequins at The Stoop, the men in the shirts may change, yet the spirit remains the same.
But have they ever had to dig as deep into their stocks of resolve to get a win as they did in the Stade Aimé Giral on Saturday night? At Thomond six days before Rob Penney’s side destroyed the visitors, but the return fixture was different animal.
Ian Keatley missed a few kicks, Pater O’Mahony was sent to the bin and the game was tight, scrappy and fairly fractious. And with the clock ticking down, Munster held a slim lead when, three minutes from the end, Tommaso Benvenuti scored a try to put the French side up 17-13.
But Munster mustered one more attack, and it was a real thing of beauty. Denis Hurley and Tommy O’Donnell worked wonders tight on the sideline and JJ Hanrahan, only on the pitch a matter of minutes for the concussed Keith Earls, produced a great side step to beat his man and cross for the winning try in stoppage time. It was like the Ireland/New Zealand game but in reverse.
The win, coupled with Edinburgh’s win over Gloucester, puts Munster well in control of Pool 6 and they can enjoy Christmas safe in the knowledge they have almost sealed a spot in the knock-out phase. They wouldn’t have it any other way.
Aviva la difference
Last week, Leinster put in one of the great Heineken Cup performances by an Irish side away from home, brutalising Northampton 40-7 at Franklin’s Gardens. Fast forward seven days and despite a late surge, they went down at Aviva Stadium to the same side 19-8. An early George North try set the tone and the absence of Sean O’Brien and Cian Healy was very keenly felt, in the scrums and around the park.
Make no mistake, the Saints deserved to win this but it was almost snatched from them as Leinster made a massive drive to nab a try at the death. Stout defence kept them out before the ball was eventually picked off by James Elliott for a length-of-the-pitch effort that not only sealed the win, but robbed Leinster of a losing bonus too.
It wasn’t a disaster, and Leinster are still four clear at the top of Pool1, but that sort of defeat will rankle with these lads. Castres away in mid-January should feel the brunt of their frustration.
French revenge and foggy dues
Connacht’s win over Toulouse last week was even more heroic than Leinster’s win over Northampton. But we all expected a backlash in Galway on Saturday and sadly it came to pass. An illness-hit squad was only able to manage nine points, all via the boot of Dan Parks while Toulouse cut loose with five tries and won handily in the end, 37-9.
Connacht will now turn their minds to getting off the bottom of the Rabo table.
Ulster did manage a win, at least we think they did. Visibility in Treviso was diabolical but reports claim that Ulster won 35-3. Ulster remain the only unbeaten side in Pool 5, but Leicester are still on their tail, just three behind after a one-point win over Montpellier. That final group game between the two sides at Welford Road will probably decide the Pool winners.
Don’t forget to get involved with the Heineken Star Predictor ‘Get in The Game’ where you can put your rugby knowledge to the test by predicting the outcome of this weekend’s games. The top prize is a pair of VIP tickets to the 2014 Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff and there are other prizes to be won throughout the season. Click here to start predicting.
