Munster v Connacht Friday 27th December 19.15

Losing bonus point to paper over the cracks. Fair play to the lads for keeping going until the end at least. Really though that was a very average Munster side. Not many of that pack would be near a Munster 23 for any type of serious game.

I really hope that's the last we've seen of Frank Murphy in a Connacht jersey. He shouldn't have been near the team in the first place and had a huge part to play for Munster. Why Marmion or POD wasn't starting I can't understand. Parks should be consigned to a role on the bench at this stage. Kicked his goals well but apart from that was very poor. We have little to play for in the league. What's the worst that can happen with Carty (or when he returns Ronaldson) at out half, we lose a couple of games, it doesn't really matter, at least he'd be getting experience. Whatever we have to do to get a quality out half for next season we have to do it. I have huge time for Gavin Duffy but again lets bring something new to full back.

We showed when Marmion came on and kept the ball in hand that we can play some good stuff but it was too little too late at that stage. Indiscipline was prevalent again tonight on the Connacht side. At key junctures discipline let us down. I don't think the officials helped the game either though in fairness. Also, if we're going to play a kicking game it needs to be a lot smarter than we showed this evening or in most matches, far too many aimless kicks and not just from Parks.

As far as positives go, last year we were nilled in this fixture and this time we got a lbp. Its not much but its still progress. At the same time that was a fairly average munster team with no real good individual performances on their part, maybe jj accepted. Cronin is a good prop but a bit of a dirty cunt, some people say you need a bit of that in a team but he seemed to take much too much pleasure in it.

Agree on Duffy, Murphy and Parks but the latter is being asked to play 80 minutes week in week out when its been clear since last year he's not got the capacity for it any more. Carty should be able to start against Zebre whether in the heine or rabo with Marmion taking pressure off him as decision maker if necessary.

I thought after the first 10 minutes that Connacht were going to really dominate in the scrum and then out of nowhere the decisions seemed to become more and more arbitrary, as was issues in the lineout. In the end the ref lost his bottle and lost control of a game that didn't have to be so scrappy but fell apart in the second half.

James Cronin is going to find himself with a nasty reputation he will find hard to shake if he continues with the crap he pulled tonight and last week. Someone ought to have a talk with the boy and tell him he's doing his career harm with this cheap shot rubbish.

As for Murphy agreed he's terrible. End of.

connachtexile wrote: James Cronin is going to find himself with a nasty reputation he will find hard to shake if he continues with the crap he pulled tonight and last week. Someone ought to have a talk with the boy and tell him he's doing his career harm with this cheap shot rubbish.

As for Murphy agreed he's terrible. End of.

Whats very worrying is the fact our knowledgeable coaching team relegated POD who wasn't doing bad to bring him in.

Really disappointing stuff yet again against Munster. No fluidity, half backs were terrible, just awful. Carty has to be given a run at this stage. Parks is no longer up to playing 80mins week in week out. Is POD injured? If he's not then it really brings the coaches judgment into question in playing Murphy. He was very poor. Iv'e heard a lot of hype around James Cronin, but he needs to cut out the Dylan Hartleyesue sh1te. Thought he was owned by White when he was on. Our front row was much better imo.

I have little to add on comments already, except I didn't think the ref was that bad, and don't agree that as an IRFU one he was biased. I also agree that we need to give the other 10s some game time.

I was surprised at how poor Henshaw was. He is a FB, he is not a 13, maybe he will become one, but he will cost Connacht a lot of points by then and he has not showed that he is learning.

On the play before the Munster try there was a 3 on 3, Murphy was Healey's man who lined him up to cut inside, all Henshaw had to do was hold the line marking the inside runner, but he was impetuous and took out Murphy who offloaded inside and the move led to the ruck and consequent try. Equally against Dragons he was a shooter and missed his tackle. Similarly against Australia he missed his man though it would be harsh to blame him solely as he was one of a few missed tackles. Tonight He also gave a soft penalty with an unnecessary high tackle. He reads a game better from FB, I don't ever see him as a 13, and he will lose confidence as a player if they persist.

I know I'm doing intervention in counter-current, but I really found Muldoon more than ok at openside, and I'm not worried anymore waiting Heenan comeback.. Young Kearney and Buckley were good too

I have sympathy for anyone playing outside Frank Murphy last night. It's hard to criticise Parks when he's constantly being put under some much pressure from his own scrum-half. Having said that his cross field kick for the Munster try was crazy. He actually did something similar against the Dragons and got away with it. I still like the fact that I knew he'd get the conversion at the end for the bonus point. There have been so many unreliable Connacht kickers over the years, I'm reluctant to call for Parks to be dropped. I agree with many on here though, he needs to be used more sparingly.

On a positive note, the move to score the try at the end was excellent and that's two weeks running we finished strongly to claim points. It's not something that we has been good at in the past so it's good to see.

columoc wrote: I have little to add on comments already, except I didn't think the ref was that bad, and don't agree that as an IRFU one he was biased. I also agree that we need to give the other 10s some game time.

I was surprised at how poor Henshaw was. He is a FB, he is not a 13, maybe he will become one, but he will cost Connacht a lot of points by then and he has not showed that he is learning.

On the play before the Munster try there was a 3 on 3, Murphy was Healey's man who lined him up to cut inside, all Henshaw had to do was hold the line marking the inside runner, but he was impetuous and took out Murphy who offloaded inside and the move led to the ruck and consequent try. Equally against Dragons he was a shooter and missed his tackle. Similarly against Australia he missed his man though it would be harsh to blame him solely as he was one of a few missed tackles. Tonight He also gave a soft penalty with an unnecessary high tackle. He reads a game better from FB, I don't ever see him as a 13, and he will lose confidence as a player if they persist.

A big part of the issue is 13 is a far more difficult position to play. At full back a player has time to assess what's ahead of him but at 13 you don't get time. I don't many upcoming star players at 13 in the world and those who are are big battering rams rather than the player Henshaw has the potential to be. There are loads of wings and full backs because it's easier to play those positions, in my opinion.

Couple thoughts on this:

Criticism of the coaching for resting Marmion is unjustified. This was the least important and least winnable of the sequence of Christmas/HEC games Dragons/Munster/Leinster/Zebre/Saracens' and he certainly needed a rest (his performance level against Dragons was good rather than excellent).
I don't think anyone could have foreseen Murphy being played off the park by Scissorhands Williams.

Deadly Dudley had one instance of gross incompetence )he non-existant knock-on when White was charging for line) and 2 instances where he chickened out of going upstairs to check for foul play for fear of having to red card a Munster player. The first of these (Cronin vs. Duffy) it looked from the ref's and main camera angle like a Munster player was stamping, but the replay showed this wasn't actually the case, while at the very end he didn't go to the video ref to check on Earls punches, which worked out in our favour as there was then no way ourtry could be chalked off.
So - Dudley was less than usually inept and rode us less than the likes of Rolland or Fitzgibbon. The penalty count was even.

The TMO was very kind when called upon, Cronin got binned for a sarcastic ruffle of the hair, and how Muldowney didn't get a yellow I don't know.

My thinking on this is that with Loughney fit and Swift due back, Murphy, White and Muldowney should be dropped from the 23 for the Leinster match to stamp down on indiscipline.

Loughney wasn't excellent at all this season against Leinster for example

I was down there last night and everyone was saying how bad Dudley was - both Connacht & Munster fans.

2 things really disappointed me though and not sure if they were picked up on TV. Firstly, the Munster fans booed the Connacht team off the pitch. Connacht applauded the Munster players at the tunnel entrance and the Munster fans joined in, however when Munster were applauding the Connacht players, the crowed started booing.

Secondly, during the 2nd half, the stadium announcer felt the need to come on the PA and "politely request that visiting fans respect the kicker with silence. It is a long standing tradition in Thomond Park and is world renowned". Which is fair enough - great tradition and matched in the Sportsground. I didn't really notice any disrespect last night but maybe there was somewhere else in the grounds. However for our conversion at the end to get the BP, large pockets of Munster fans jeered Parks

Not exactly what you'd expect from the so called best club rugby fans in the world

salmson wrote: Couple thoughts on this:

Criticism of the coaching for resting Marmion is unjustified. This was the least important and least winnable of the sequence of Christmas/HEC games Dragons/Munster/Leinster/Zebre/Saracens' and he certainly needed a rest (his performance level against Dragons was good rather than excellent).
I don't think anyone could have foreseen Murphy being played off the park by Scissorhands Williams.

I'm sorry but whatever about anything else management have to take the hit for that one. Not for resting Marmion as there may have been some IRFU interference but for picking Murphy ahead of POD. Also, if Marmion was being rested leave him at home (like we should have done with Mike McCarthy last year also). What happened was no-use to player or team.

Whatever about Leinster at home to think we have a better chance away to Saracens than against a scratch Munster side is hard to fathom but I know what you mean about the relative importance of the games.

Murphy was always going to be miles off the pace. It was the one glaring wtf name on the teamsheet. In contrast Paul O'Donohue while not the best player in the squad has performed at a decent level with any opportunity he has got this season and crucially he is interested in playing. Why he has slipped behind Murphy in the pecking order is beyond me.