Same result but contrasting emotions for Munster and Ulster after opening defeats

Munster and Ulster both lost their opening round matches in the Heineken Champions Cup yesterday, but there the comparisons ended. Munster at least salvaged a losing point in what was an absorbing 18-13 loss to the five-time winners Toulouse amid a thickening blanket of icy Limerick fog, whereas Ulster host reigning champions La Rochelle next Saturday on the back of a demoralising 39-0 loss away to Sale Sharks.

Graham Rowntree had regrets, specifically about Munster’s failure to deal with Toulouse’s power game. While Munster did score their try after going to the corner, their maul was held up twice in succession in the second half whereas both Toulouse tries emanated from attacking lineouts.

[ Powerful Toulouse hold on in the fog to see off Munster at Thomond Park ]

Nonetheless, Rowntree retained belief that his side’s performance would have been good enough to beat the majority of teams in this competition.

“I would hope so. They’re a great team, as I keep saying. You’ve got challenges everywhere. Every breakdown is hot, the ball’s never dead, the ruck’s never won and they can play from everywhere. You’ve just got to be on red alert.

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“I thought we dealt with that pretty well but again, power. So we’ll look at that going into next week but we’ve got to keep momentum. We’ve got some momentum. We’ve not been perfect the last three weeks but we’ll look at what we can do better and we’ll keep driving forward.”

Northampton suffered a heavy 46-12 loss away to La Rochelle on Saturday but they’re traditionally a hot and cold side, and Rowntree is particularly mindful of what could be a different type of threat compared to Toulouse next Sunday at Franklin’s Gardens.

“They’ll be licking their wounds after yesterday as well. They’re at home and they can play, they can score tries. I know all their coaching crew. They’re good lads, I’ve got a lot of respect for them.”

Ultimately though, after Joey Carbery converted his own 10th minute try, thereafter Munster were only able to score two penalties. Toulouse’s defence increasingly devoured Munster’s attacking game, even if they seemed to be allowed all manner of largesse with regard to the offside line and side entry.

“How about the breakdown?” responded Rowntree when asked how Munster might have used the ball better. “We spoke about that and they were shooting out of defence. They were very good.

“That’s a proper test that, against a great French team. Top of the league in France for a reason. That’s like playing an international, challenges everywhere, from their power game to the breakdown to defence.

“There was some good stuff we did there, some good stuff. We’ve got to look at what we can do better when they are on our try line and what we can do better when we’re camped on their try line.”

Reflecting on his first Champions Cup game as head coach, Rowntree said: “We’re spoilt with our loyal crowd. We are, aren’t we? Fantastic”

His counterpart, Ugo Mola, attributed his team’s win to their physicality. “It’s always special to win at Thomond Park,” said Mola, and amid general French misgivings about the advent of the South African teams, added: “That was not a Champions Cup match, that was a proper European Cup match.”

Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle will pitch up in the Kingspan Stadium after scoring six tries in eviscerating Northampton and find Ulster at a low ebb after conceding six tries against Sale.

[ Ulster held scoreless and brutally exposed by Sale Sharks in Champions Cup opener ]

Cancelled flights delayed Ulster’s trip until the morning of the game, but Dan McFarland admitted: “We play in the URC, so that’s trains, planes and automobiles most weeks for us – we’re used to that kind of thing. It’s not ideal, but it’s certainly not something we’re going to worry about or use as an excuse for today. I wanted to see us play well and for us to show our game, but we weren’t able to do that.”

“They offer a contrasting style with the amount they kick and the physicality they have with their runners. They have a real hard edge in their defence, which proved really hard for us to break down. We thought, with quick ball, our attack can break down most teams, but we couldn’t do that, which is obviously a shame.”

Leinster’s six-try, 42-10 win against Racing 92 in Le Havre on Saturday came after an arduous 18-hour trip to which didn’t diminish their desire or work ethic in the slightest.

[ Leo Cullen praises Leinster’s resilience after nightmare journey to France ]

“Credit to everyone that’s here, they prepared well earlier in the week, so you are able to deal with some of those disruptions. That’s probably the trick for us now, go back and try and get into Gloucester as early as we can,” said Leo Cullen, in advance of hosting the Cherry & Whites, who themselves recorded a bonus point win at home to Bordeaux-Begles, next Friday night.

“At this time of year you have to be able to deal with those disruptions, whatever that is. We have seen over the years plenty of examples where games get shifted, times moved whatever it is; it is just making sure that we are able to move onto the next plan quite quickly. Credit to players about how they went about their business over the past 48 hours. Huge credit to them.

As for Johnny Sexton and Tadhg Furlong, who missed the Racing game, Cullen said: “They were both due to run over the past couple of days, so we will see how they went. They are not a million miles away.”