The I'll Start a Munster Thread Before ... Thread

[twitchy]

It was a first half blitz from racing.

[BBD]

we left ourselves too much to do

great heart shown but our execution was at best mediocre and at worst a liability

not a good day at the office

[francoisfou]

Never mind, but I'm sure that the Munstermen will do their best to drink the bars of Bordeaux dry!

[paddy no 11]

That match leaves a bitter taste

Money talks and bullshit walks in Irish rugby that's for sure

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Disastrous first 30 minutes in which Racing took every opportunity offered - and they were offered plenty. Second half the lads calmed themselves down, but even so I'd say that Racing were more than 5 points better than us today (Two late tries flattered us).

Not that losing comes close to ruining a superb weekend. Atmosphere before during and immediately after the game was superb. To hear a Munster crowd in full throated singing even after a loss so convincing was tearful stuff. The reception given to Racing had them applauding back and when Donnacha Ryan came round on his own it was just blumming awesome.

Can't help thinking that we were playing for the dubious prize of being shafted by Leinster in Bilbao, mind.

[paddy no 11]

The selection of the back 3 was terrible

the brother new last night thru WhatsApp that out first opportunity we would take a drop goal (and he lives in Canada)

Watching Donnacha destroy our lineout to see grobler coming on for us was pitiful stuff, i'm disgusted really. (heaslip who hardly played again got the nod, and check out Ewan's tweets on him if you can be bothered)

Hopefully Tadgh Beirne revives my interest in Irish rugby next season

[SerjeantWildgoose]

There has been some dark stuff right enough, Paddy. But in a grand slam year after 12 wins on the bounce with two of us in the semis (again) and one in the final (Without Heaslip) there’s a good deal more on the positive side of the ledger.

I am like you and deeply unhappy re. the Grobelar situation. The rules of the game allow the bloke to play on so I’m satisfied to put the drug stuff behind; but the fact is that he just isn’t very good, and when measured in direct face-to-face with Donnacha it’s difficult to see how giving him a year’s contract adds up even close to being a fair exchange. Beirne will fill the gap better so a year on we may find less to grumble about, but I tell ye, the ovation Ryan got from us after the game was louder than that for any aul former player; we clearly feel he was let down as well as let go.

Beirne’s arrival will be great, but no panacea. We are, I feel, punching well above our not particularly hefty weight and he will not change that. Scarlets haven’t, and we won’t, build a team around him and I am not yet sure how or even if he will fit into the Munster way. If we can get him playing like a POM at set piece and in the tight while retaining his inner-ball-carrying CJ we will have the Crown Jewels.

But with all of that we need a dependable out half. We have 4 on our books, but there are days when you could barely cobble together a Pro14 standard starter from all their component parts. Ian has had some great days since that shameful and low day the scum booed him off the park; but yesterday wasn’t one of them. JJ left his mojo somewhere between Franklin’s Gardens and the Heysham ferry and injury has kept Tyler and Bill out of the mix for what will likely prove too long. If one of them might just begin to fire like Tyler did against Glasgow at Thomond Park the weekend after Axel’s funeral - and do it more often than once every couple of years - we may start to win some of these big games; until then we’ll have good days out at the races but always be among the also-rans.

It was still a cracking day yesterday, despite the match and the result, and I hope Racing go on to win it. They may be a bunch of mercenary feckers, but one of them is our mercenary fecker and their fans deserve it.

[francoisfou]

It was still a cracking day yesterday, despite the match and the result, and I hope Racing go on to win it. They may be a bunch of mercenary feckers, but one of them is our mercenary fecker and their fans deserve it.

Never thought I'd be saying this, but me too! I really hope Racing beat those ladyboys - a thrashing would be great but a one point victory in Bilbao would do for me.

[paddy no 11]

All true sarge it still irks a bit.

Yes an out half is badly needed

(How would one P Jackson sit with you?)

[SerjeantWildgoose]

One P Jackson is at least better than two P Jacksons; but to be fair I’d rather see us as also rans than scoop that far down the moral bucket.

[Spiffy]

Sounds like a great weekend anyway Sarge, even though the Bogmen played like a malfunctioning Turkish toilet on a Saturday night.
I just hope that one a thon miserable bunch of foul-tempered, smelly wee hoores who call themselves French waiters, did not spit in yer soup - or worse.

[francoisfou]

I just hope that one a thon miserable bunch of foul-tempered, smelly wee hoores who call themselves French waiters, did not spit in yer soup - or worse.

Nah, they only do that to the English!

[BBD]

All but one player changed for Munster starting XV

Big opportunity for Ulster

[BBD]

Less than 2 minutes gone, tmo deciding if Munster have or haven’t scored

[BBD]

Looks good to me

[BBD]

7 each and 13 mins gone, very open game, there’ll be lots of errors

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Well done the youngsters. It’s a very different thing putting the 2nd string out for a dead rubber, but for them to hold out a potent enough 1st XV with everything to play for is impressive. Sam Arnold clearly enjoyed himself today and I can’t help feeling, after watching Fitz and Nash, that in a couple of seasons we’ll be asking “who was that Zebo bloke?”

Now need the Jocks to smash the shyte out of each other.

Hope Henderson is ok.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

https://munsterrugby.ie/preview/munster ... out-clash/

So, JJ to start at 10 instead of Ian? It will be interesting to see how he goes behind a 1st choice pack and outside the best 9 on the planet - and lets be honest, if he can get them going that as exciting a mid-field and back 3 as we could have wanted to see in a Munster side.

Wew don't lose many knock out games in Limerick, but that is a powerful Embra side and I don't feel quite as confident as I'd hoped I would.

[switchskier]

https://munsterrugby.ie/preview/munster ... out-clash/

So, JJ to start at 10 instead of Ian? It will be interesting to see how he goes behind a 1st choice pack and outside the best 9 on the planet - and lets be honest, if he can get them going that as exciting a mid-field and back 3 as we could have wanted to see in a Munster side.

Wew don't lose many knock out games in Limerick, but that is a powerful Embra side and I don't feel quite as confident as I'd hoped I would.

Looking forward to this one, though Munster start as big favourites. I read that ticket sales are pretty low (around 8k). Are Munster fans just expecting to win this or is that about you guys would expect?

[SerjeantWildgoose]

It is a busy family day in Limerick so that will keep most of those on the riverside who might otherwise have been tempted to wander out Sexton Street to TP. I would also suspect that there is a bit of a deflated feeling lingering from the loss in Bordeaux.

8k is a low gate, particularly so for the last game of the season at TP. There might still be a couple of thousand who, seeing that advanced sales are quite low, will wander up on the day.

I can assure you s-s, there's no expectation from me that we'll win this and anyone who does expect an easy win hasn't seen how potent this Embra side have become under Cockerill.

[Spiffy]

Munster get the job done against a very good Edinburgh team. Great games from Earls and Zebo, who is still the best FB in Ireland.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

We’ll make a Tornip out of ye yet!

[switchskier]

Congratulations lads. We tried to out Munster you which seemed quite unlikely to work. Murray was as classy as ever but you really need a new ten to get those backs going.

I know he's not but Zebo looks really chunky and slow compared to what he used to be. Get that man in some slimming stripes.

[Spiffy]

We’ll make a Tornip out of ye yet!

Ahhhh tiz too late, sorr. Haven't I already learned to read and write, and I own a pair of shoes. And I'm not that fond of the livestock.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

I know he's not but Zebo looks really chunky and slow compared to what he used to be. Get that man in some slimming stripes.

He’s heading to Racing, not Juventus. The hoops will just make him look even fatter - a bit like a tall Duncan Weir.