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It's insanity that a club of Munster's pedigree has lost so many successive European semi-finals

CJ Stander reflects following Munster's semi-final loss last April (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

If the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over, then Munster appear caught up in a warped cycle where the outcome isn’t going to change anytime soon unless they change themselves.

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European semi-final sadly equals elimination when it comes to the Irish province these days, their trophy-winning exploits and their reaching of an enviable four finals in a nine-season spell consigned to the history books and replaced by a pattern where the pain is only getting worse judging by the lop-sided nature of recent last-four results.

Dublin, San Sebastian, Montpellier, Marseille, Dublin again, Bordeaux and Coventry is the sequence where the music keeps on stopping, their guilty feet left with no rhythm as they leave the dance floor for more superior teams to see out the season.

You could live with the situation somewhat in the old ERC European Cup era. Leinster sucker-punched them a decade ago in an all-Irish epic, Biarritz feasted on some ill-discipline down in Spain while the respective 2013 and 2014 losses to Clermont and Toulon witnessed Munster courageously going toe-to-toe over in France.

Since then, though, the narrative has worryingly altered in this EPCR Champions Cup era. Stand up and fight isn’t something Munster have done in their three recent semi-final exits, Saracens twice choking them either side of a first-half chastening by Racing.

(Continue reading below…)

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Let’s not get sidetracked by the sideshows that emerged from Saturday’s latest surrender, the outrage over homophobic Billy Vunipola being awarded man of the match award and the dismissive attitude towards the limited amount of support Saracens attracted to the English midlands.

The only post-mortem debate from this Champions Cup semi-final should surround the result, the 32-16 double-score pounding which confirmed Munster continue to only make up the numbers when reaching the last-four rather than actually being a genuine contender to lift the trophy.

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Accountability for results should firmly rest with the guy who picks the team, but recent developments at the club suggest that the current glass ceiling they are repeatedly failing to break through is viewed as an acceptable situation.

It was curious on the back of their fortunate quarter-final win over Edinburgh – the second fortunate quarter-final success of the van Graan era as they needed a late try to defeat Toulon 12 months ago in Limerick – that a coach whose initial deal would see him in situ anyway until summer 2020 had secured a contract extension a year early that will take him through until 2022.

The question that needs answering is why did Munster have to move so early to retain the services of the 39-year-old? On the surface it appears they are happy to reward a certain level of achievement rather than place a premium on achieving results higher up the scale and return to the club to the echelons they used occupy when Declan Kidney ran the rule.

Munster coach Johann van Graan has secured a contract extension until 2022 (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
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It was all well and good for van Grann to claim in his contract extension media release that “moments and scenes in Edinburgh with the Munster supporters, players and management make for amazing memories”, but the trouble is that when it comes to the end of this season the lingering memory will now be of Saturday’s schooling by Saracens in Coventry.

The hope heading to England was that Munster would somehow demonstrate they had evolved from where they were two years ago when their Rassie Erasmus-led side was dished a lesson from Saracens in Dublin. However, too many similarities emerged between events at the Ricoh and the Aviva.

As was the case in 2017, Munster were blessed to only trail by three points at the interval before eventually cracking under relentless pressure early in the second half.

HOW MUNSTER’S RECENT COACHES COMPARE

RASSIE ERASMUS – W32 D1 L9 (76.1%)

Home – W19 L2 (90.4%), Away – W13 D1 L7 (61.9%)

JOHANN VAN GRAAN – W33 D2 L14 (67.3%)

Home – W21 D1 L1 (91.3%), Away – W12 D1 L13 (46.1%)

ROB PENNEY – W38 D1 L22 (62.2%)

Home – W23 D1 L5 (79.3%), Away – W15 L17 (46.8%)

ANTHONY FOLEY – W36 D2 L21 (61.0%)

Home – W22 L7 (75.8%), Away – W13 D2 L14 (44.8%)

Where was the innovation, where was the strategy to combat the inevitable Saracens onslaught that unfolded? That is what van Graan is employed to do, to provide potential solutions that just might get Munster over the line rather than lose by the exact same 16-point margin they were defeated by 24 months ago.

A few things stood out sorely. For all the rave reviews Tadhg Beirne has earned in recent seasons when establishing his reputation as a breakdown nuisance, recent outings in Coventry with Munster and with Ireland in Cardiff have demonstrated he now needs to take his game onto another level in these marquee matches.

Also, contrast the many more attacking options Owen Farrell seemed to have when possession came his way compared to when Tyler Bleyendaal was on the ball. Munster were limited and predictable in attack while Saracens regularly changed the point of their attack.

Skill level was another focus. For instance, why does replacement prop Stephen Archer appear allergic to handling the ball with proficiency? Competency with the pill is now part of every tighthead’s CV these days.

Also, Mike Haley was trumpeted as an Irish-qualified signing when he arrived in from the Premiership but there was a reason why he was playing for Sale and not one of the bigger clubs. It’s fair to say the experience of Racing’s Simon Zebo, whom Haley replaced, was missed in this European semi.

Then there was their overall level of belligerence. Munster were ultimately bullied and looked in dire need of a Will Skelton, a Scott Fardy, a Jerome Kaino type of overseas import. Someone who can deliver calmly and composed when the proverbial is hitting the fan, the sort of presence who can assist the likes of Jack O’Donoghue in becoming a leader rather than someone who can struggle to be consistently influential in tough going.

Munster’s Tadhg Beirne looks on as Saracens box-kick their way forward in Coventry (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Identifying someone who can add this enforcer type bite to Munster should be at the top of van Graan’s must-do list, along with pressing the accelerator on the academy conveyor belt.

For a whole host of reasons, the talent coming through their system isn’t as plentiful compared to arch rivals Leinster and if the South African is really to make a success of his tenure through to 2022, he must start influencing the structures that surround the identification and education of the next wave of players.

There is some talent there already in the system – Munster accounted for six of Ireland’s starters in their Grand Slam-clinching under-20s win over Wales last month. But they are nowhere near a situation where they can confidently rely on a harvest of riches arriving in every year as happens in Dublin when kids get thrown in at the deep end early and thrive.

As it stands, van Grann’s overall results do stand up when compared to some other recent coaches. His 67.3% win ratio eclipses Rob Penney and the late Anthony Foley, but he trails Erasmus’ 76.1% and must now figure our ways to get the very best out of his team now that he has the safety net of this extended contract.

He needs to realise that Munster, because of their European pedigree under Kidney, will always be measured by the trophies they win and he needs a squad with an unrelenting desire to selfishly be the best.

Too many of their leading players have played in too many Euro semi-finals defeats – Keith Earls, missing in Coventry through injury, has endured six losses, Dave Kilcoyne five, while Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander all check in with four. That’s frustrating for players of this calibre and they could do perhaps with taking an off-season read of Paul O’Connell’s autobiography.

Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara jointly lifted the trophy after Munster’s 2008 Heineken Cup win over Toulouse (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Reflecting on the infuriating 2004 semi-final loss to Wasps, he wrote: “The real change that came from that day was that a core of players became more determined than ever before to make Munster successful.

“It wasn’t that the organisation got better. It was that the hardest trainers in the group drew on the Wasps defeat. That was what really made the difference.”

Two years later they were champions. Have van Graan and co got this stubbornness to make a similar leap?

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
David Campese names his Springbok world player of the year winner

Why is Joe Schmidt the best option for Australia? (LONG READ)


An essay for @OJohn with love from South Africa.


OJohn keeps banging on about kiwis and Saffers and everyone else seeking to undermine and bring down Australian rugby… Blah, Blah, Blah. It’s boring and not worth responding too 99 days out of 100.


He misses the point completely that Australians either are or are not the masters of their own destiny. So to blame anyone else but themselves for what the state of Australian rugby is in - is hypocritical.


But recently, Australia has shown signs of life. Personally, I always believed they would be back at some point. At the beginning of this year I predicted that the wallabies would bounce back this year. I predicted that they would overtake England in the world rankings. I am predicting that they could finish second in the RC, could win the Lions series and could make it to a RWC final at home.


I tend to get ahead of myself when I’m excited... Ask my wife. But forgive me for getting excited about the Wallabies looking good! Is it so bad?


Like OJohn, I believe that Australia’s lands abound with natures gifts, including athletic specimens across any sporting code the Aussies compete in. It’s one of the reasons most of us don’t like Aussies. They win sh1t. Regularly. And look smug when they do...


But back to OJohn. And his banging on about the need for Australia to have an Australian coach. Here are a few highlights of his argument:


Several times I've given a list of half a dozen Australian coaches who would be more Australian than Schmidt and just as successful.

Tell me which Australian coaches would be acceptable to coach the All Blacks ......?

Because South Africans and Kiwis and Welshmen and Scotsman are all s.... scared that if an immensely talented and athletic team like Australia is ever able to harness nationalistic Australian passion with an Australian coach, you'll all be s.c.r.e.w.e.d.


And then finally – the list of 6 🥴:


Ewen McKenzie, Less Kiss, Stephen Larkham, Jim McKay, David Nucifora, Scott Wisenthal, Ben Mowen, Rod Kafer, Mick Byrne, John Manetti, Jason Gilmore, Dan McKellar.

Plus, a special request:


Keep in mind Rod MacQueen never won a Super Rugby title before he was appointed Wallaby coach but he ended up the greatest rugby coach the world has ever seen. Better than Erasmus even. Who is probably the next best.

Right. I don’t care about the tinfoil hat theories. I want to assess OJohn’s list and determine whether any of them fit the mold of a Rod Macqueen.

 

Like Rod Macqueen the following world cup winning coaches never won a Super Rugby Title:


·       David Kirk, 1987 (17 appearances for New Zealand)

·       Kitch Kristie, 1995

·       Rod Macqueen, 1999

·       Clive Woodward, 2003 (21 Appearance for England)

·       Jake White, 2007 (School Teacher)

·       Graham Henry, 2011 (School Teacher)

·       Steve Hansen, 2015 (Policeman)

·       Rassie Erasmus, 2019 (36 Appearances for South Africa)

·       Jacques Nienaber, 2023 (Physiotherapist).


I couldn't find out what Rod or Kitch did other than coach.


The only coach who has won a Super title and a World Cup?

·       Bob Dwyer, 1991 (A Tahs man wouldn’t you know!)


In fact coaches that have won super rugby titles have not won world cups. Robbie Deans. Heyneke Meyer to name just two.


I know I’m being childish, but I needed to bring this list in somehow because it’s quite obvious that whatever these coaches did before they became international level coaches is largely immaterial. Or is it?


Interestingly Ewan McKenzie (A Tah Man!) has won a Super title. And despite being a Tah Man made it into OJohn’s list. That’s two strikes for Ewan Mckenzie based on OJohn’s criteria so far. Not to mention his 50% win rate as head coach of the Wallabies between 2013 and 2014 (and the laundry list of off the field fcuk ups that swirled around the team at the time).


So Ewan is out.


I find it interesting that, as we speak, eight out of the ten top ranked men’s teams are coached by former international players:

1.      South Africa, Rassie Erasmus (36 appearances for South Africa)

2.      Ireland, Andy Farrell (8 appearances for England)

3.      New Zealand, Scott Robertson (23 appearances for New Zealan)

4.      France, Fabien Galthie (64 appearances for France)

5.      Argentina, Felipe Contemponi (87 appearances for Argentina)

6.      Scotland, Gregor Townsend (82 appearances for Scotland)

7.      England, Steve Borthwick (57 appearances for England)

8.      Australia, Joe Schmidt (School Teacher)

9.      Fiji, Michael Byrne (Aussie Rules Player)

10.  Italy, Gonzalo Quesada (38 appearances for Argentina).


It would appear as though we have entered an era where successful international coaches, largely, have played rugby at international level in the professional era. Or are ex school teachers. Much like Jake White and Graham Henry! Or a policeman.

 

Back to OJohn’s List. That leaves us with:


·       Less Kiss, (I like the look of)

·       Stephen Larkham, (I like the look of)

·       Jim McKay, (Very little to write home about)

·       David Nucifora, (Too old)

·       Scott Wisenthal, (I literally can’t find anything on him on the Google).

·       Ben Mowen, (Too young, no coaching experience)

·       Rod Kafer, (No coaching experience)

·       Mick Byrne, (He’s coaching the Fijians, Aussie rules!)

·       John Manetti, (Can’t find him on the google)

·       Jason Gilmore, (Seems to be working through the ranks, coaching Wallabies A)

·       Dan McKellar, (Not much to write home about, but could be an option).


Applying some logic, I would say the following are viable options based on age, experience in coaching AND the fact that they have played rugby for Australia in the professional era:

·       Less Kiss, (I like the look of)

·       Stephen Larkham, (I like the look of)

·       Jason Gilmore, (Seems to be working through the ranks, coaching Wallabies A)


After having done all this research, I think it’s fair to say that none of these three have the same pedigree as Joe Schmidt, the teacher. Who took a sh1tty Ireland team to no.1. Won a few 6 Nations and helped get the All Blacks to a world cup final in 2023.


Joe’s the best option for now. But if Kiss, Larkham and Gilmore are the business for the future for Australia get them in now as assistants to Joe and stop moaning!!


And, for the record, NONE of the above are good enough to coach the All Blacks. The All Blacks have the guy that hasn’t won a single Super title. He’s won 6.


Errors and Ommissions Excepted. Mispelling of names is OJohn's fault.

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