RUGBY:RONAN O'GARA yesterday moved to defend under-fire coach Tony McGahan who has come in for some heavy criticism following Munster's humbling loss to Harlequins last Saturday.
The defeat was Munster’s fourth semi-final defeat in succession, and has led to a wave of condemnation from supporters regarding the direction in which the side is headed.
O’Gara accepted that the twice Heineken Cup champions had been “beaten in every single aspect of the game”, and that there are “areas that need to be addressed, irrespective of how this next four weeks go”.
He also acknowledged the “hungrier side had won”, but suggested that the players, and not necessarily the coaching staff, should carry the can.
“That’s one of the points I made driving up to Carton House with Tomás O’Leary and Donncha O’Callaghan on Monday (for an Ireland get-together),” said the 34- year-old Corkman, who will be honoured with a civic reception in his native city tonight to mark his 100th Ireland cap, picked up against South Africa last November.
“I said that Tony, Laurie (Fisher) and Dutchy (Jason Holland) are not on the pitch. It’s easy to blame them but the players were poor the last day.
“So let’s take it on the chin, put your hand up; we played a bad game and they didn’t coach us to play like that.”
O’Gara was speaking at a Lucozade Sport Hydration workshop at Limerick University, where McGahan also held a press conference to discuss the fallout from last weekend’s loss.
The Australian spoke openly about the “disappointment” and “anger” he felt in the aftermath of Saturday, and accepted the manner of defeat may in fact have negated much of the good work done to restore faith in the province following their Heineken flop.
After losing out to Toulon last January, Munster responded with nine wins from their next 10 games, suggesting their mid-season dip in form was perhaps an anomaly.
However, question marks were once again raised after what will go down as one of their most disappointing home performances in 16 seasons of European Cup competition, leaving McGahan with another open wound to bandage.
“After exiting the Heineken Cup, we did a pretty good job over all as a playing group,” he said.
“We put our noses down, we worked hard for each other. We didn’t whinge, we just went about our work, and that was reflected in our performances and the way we stuck tough.
“We got a lot of close results, but Saturday’s result has probably pulled the scab off that, to be honest.
“We’re extremely embarrassed about the way we conducted ourselves on Saturday, with regard to playing at home, to what we represent, and to what our supporters have given us over a long period of time.”
Individual error has been put forward as the main reason for Saturday’s defeat, and in particular the mistake-ridden first half when Munster won possession 15 times only to suffer 14 turnovers after first phase. “We’re all scratching our heads,” McGahan admitted. “We didn’t give ourselves a chance to do anything.”
With regards to the future, the set-piece was outlined as an area where improvements are needed. McGahan also accepted the period of transition from schools rugby to underage participation represented a chink in the chain.
He did, however, point towards a strong academy as grounds for encouragement, and he also refuted the suggestion that Cork Constitution’s narrow All Ireland League final defeat against Old Belvedere on Sunday represented further evidence of decline in the province. Overall, he expressed confidence the problems facing Munster could and would be rectified with time.
Rugby Fixtures
Friday
Magners League: Aironi v Ospreys, Stadio Zafanella (7pm, Irish time); Benetton Treviso v Ospreys, Stadio di Monigo (7.05, Irish time); Leinster v Warriors, RDS (7.05); Munster v Connacht, Thomond Park (7.05); Dragons v Ulster, Rodney Parade (7.05); Scarlets v Blues, Parc y Scarlets (7.05).
