What is Munster to do

GreenHell

Four years and so so so very close, its obvious Munster has the umph, passion and control to go all the way but something is missing, Munster don't have a game breaker at the moment, which would (maybe) have made the difference on saturday. I think Mossy Lawlor if he gained a few pounds could well be that person, but Jeremy Staunton has never really delievered when the chips are down, silly silly mistakes under pressure (take by Gordon Murphy against Leicster). So damn painful to watch but the question has to be asked who has got to go inorder to get Munster that extra yard?

daveirl

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PH01

You gotta play to your strengths and Munster doesn't have any backs who are world beaters. Now if you take the Leinster back line and plug them into the Munster half backs and forwards, then you can start playing possession Rugby.

bucks73

Munsters half backs are excellent and their centres are almost as good as ODriscoll and Horgan. Hendo and Mullins had excellent games against Gloucester and Leicester.

Its the two wingers and full back where they are lacking. While Horgan and Kelly are solid they are not the deadly finishers needed at the highest level. Staunton just makes too many mistakes and wrong decisions even though he is a very good footballer.

As for kicking away possession, Munsters game against the more fancied teams has always been to play for field position rather than play an expansive game from anywhere on the park because they do not have the players to do that. You play to your strengths and if thats kicking for the corners then so be it. It worked extremely well for 60 minutes on Saturday. If they had that bit extra on the wings and at full back the game might have been out of reach for Toulouse and all that pressure might not have come in the final 20 minutes.

jonno

Munster play to there strengths which are obviously their half backs - Stringer and O' Gara. Because of this they like Leinster are one dimensional. Munster kick for to gain ground while Munster play the passing game which is their strength because their forwards are their strength.

I agree that Staunton is not up to scratch and had a very poor game at the weekend. So there's one obvious replacment straight away. After that they should use Stringer brilliant ball handling to vary between a passing and kicking game. Then Munster can start preceed past achievements in the championship.

GreenHell

Originally posted by daveirl
Get O'Gara to stop kicking away posession. Simple really.

If your talking about O'Gara thumping the ball to or beyond the Toulose 22. The result always had a net gain when Toulose where forced to kick.

I'd like to see munster injecting more pace into their wingers and full back for next seasons challenge, apparently Alain G is hunting down the australian test full back, can't remember his name Lambet or something, dunno much about him.

uberwolf

Now if you take the Leinster back line and plug them into the Munster half backs and forwards, then you can start playing possession Rugby.

is that not called the irish team?

bucks73

The rumour a few weeks ago was that Gaffney was after Chris Latham who coached while at Queensland. Seems that it was Lathams agent doing the talking to get a better contract from the Reds for the Super 12s.

There was also talk of Matt Burke joining because he is married to a Limerick girl.

Cant see either happening really.

uberwolf

one flyer would be all, that or a geordan murphy character, someone to take advantage of the gaps that appear inevitably when playing against the intensity of munster rugby

daveirl

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