RUGBY HEINEKEN CUP: A BONUS point yes, but perhaps also one that got away at a throbbing Stade Marcel Michelin. For 40 minutes, Munster looked set to complete a near perfect weekend for the Irish teams in Europe and then, having withstood the proverbial kitchen sink from Clermont in the third quarter, the champions looked like they might produce one of those acts of Euro escapology they specialise in. Ultimately, a 25-19 defeat was not a disaster but it has thrown Pool One into a wide open three-way tussle.
Although they played well for long stretches in a high tempo, high octane heavyweight Heineken Cup collision, Munster will rue their failure to press home one or two well-carved openings in the first-half, a rash of penalties that went against them, some missed tackles, a costly scrum against the head, perhaps a drop in intensity at the start of the second half and then too many forced passes. Clermont, it has to be said, picked yesterday of all days to produce their best display of a previously inconsistent season.
"We're very disappointed," admitted Munster coach Tony McGahan. "The first half had been solid enough and we were leading, but to come out in the second half and start as we did was disappointing."
With Sale going top of the pool by dint of their bonus point win at home to Montauban on Friday night, the result leaves Munster second, nestled one point either way between their two main rivals and hosting Clermont next Saturday in Thomond Park.
"They're going to be well up for their next game so we fully expect them to come next weekend. They're a very proud side, they're a very well coached side so we'll be looking forward to a great game again," added McGahan.
"Without a doubt I thought we put ourselves in a position to get a result and it was kind of a reversal of styles, wasn't it? In the first half we lacked a little bit of composure at times but in the second half, the beginning was well and truly below our standards.
"I just thought that we pushed too many passes, especially around that halfway area; we just pushed too much ball without just going forward. We needed to go with the flow of the game and I didn't think we really did that in the first 20 minutes of the second half."
Munster captain Paul O'Connell largely concurred. "My recollection of the game is that we did some things very well and at times we defended them exactly as we wanted to defend them. But it's a simple game and if you concede the gain line in rugby you're going to be chasing your tail, and we did that once or twice and they punished us."
Of some consolation, at least, was that, as in the 26-19 defeat here last January, a late Ronan O'Gara penalty had rescued a bonus point, landing his fifth kick out of five (including one from almost half-way and another from the right hand touchline) from almost 45 metres.
"Rog - solid as a rock. Jeez, a pleasure to play with him. A great pressure penalty and I thought then we were going to win it . . . we executed a few phases very well but when we were getting to third and fourth phase we seemed to get pinged a lot and it cost us."
Lamenting the several dropped balls or turnovers from forced offloads, O'Connell admitted it was disappointing but attributed this in part to it being only their second game back together and looked forward to playing back in Thomond Park next Saturday.
"It's a massive game next week. Every game in the group now is so important - we're only half way there. A bonus point today - it's disappointing to lose - but it might be very important for us or it mightn't count for anything if we don't turn up next week. We're still in with a great chance."
Vern Cotter, Clermont's Kiwi coach, was about as animated as he can become after a win, hailing the way his players attacked the game, "which was reassuring for us, to play so well against a very good team."
Laughing at the concession of another bonus point to Munster, Cotter described it as a good game in which his team had probably played their best 80 minutes of the season.
"The challenge now is to turn around and see if we can do the same thing in six days' time.
"I think we'll send our junior team over," he quipped in reference to the under-strength side which lost in Thomond Park last year, but of course a key factor arising from yesterday's outcome is that Clermont come to Limerick as real live contenders in the pool, and liable to send over their strongest selection.
"I think for any competitor it's important to be able to stand up two weeks in a row and we'll be taking it very seriously. For some of our players who haven't played there it's going to be one of their biggest games. The closest the All Blacks came to losing on their six-game tour was to Munster so we're under no illusions. We'll quickly put this game behind us, knowing that it will be a different sort of match waiting for us in six days' time."
There had been wins over the weekend for the other three Irish teams yet for all that, Leinster management, players and fans alike would have felt disappointment at their failure to obtain a bonus point after what was a fairly ragged performance punctuated by 18 handling errors.
They are still one of the top three ranked sides with 14 points, but it could conceivably prove costly in terms of obtaining a home quarter-final, even if they remain well placed to qualify. Although happy with the win, Michael Cheika conceded that the urgency Leinster showed in the final quarter came too late.
The pack played pretty well, with Devin Toner and Seán O'Brien underlining the rapid progress which both of these talented young forwards have made this season. However, the backplay was again a little flat - in every sense - and at times over elaborate.
Given that Brian O'Driscoll went off with a hamstring strain and the tight six-day turnaround, there must be a doubt about the Ireland captain for next Friday's return match in Castres, although it is unlikely news of his injury will not be divulged until tomorrow.
Against that, Cheika is relatively optimistic that Isa Nacewa, Felipe Contepomi and Shane Jennings might all come back into the equation.
