Munster player ratings vs Stade Francais | Investec Champions Cup

Munster Rugby secured a 33 – 7 victory over Stade Francais at Thomond Park to get their Investec Champions Cup campaign off to the perfect start.

In what was an ill-tempered clash, the Parisians would play the final half an hour with thirteen players.

First, it was number four, Pierre-Henri Azagoh, who saw red for a swinging arm on Munster backrow Peter O’Mahony. Four minutes later, the French international would be joined by his lock partner Baptiste Pesenti, who harnessed his inner Hulk Hogan as he slammed Craig Casey to the ground. Sparking a major scuffle, Pesenti found himself on the ground with the Munster pack, letting him know their feelings about his actions.

Despite the numerical advantage, Munster’s performance slipped from what had been a highly promising opening fifty minutes.

Nevertheless, Ian Costello’s side showed plenty of promise to secure the four-try bonus point ahead of their trip to Castres Olympique in round two.

Here is how the Munster players fared against Stade Francais.

1. Dian Bleuler – 8.5
Answering Munster’s prayers, the South African loosehead feels like an old-school signing by the Irish province. Bleuler brought solidity to the Munster scrum and was exceptional with the ball in hand, ending as Munster’s second-highest ball carrier with 16. If he keeps this up, Munster will be knocking down the IRFU’s door to keep him long-term; BJ Botha 2.0, anyone?

2. Diarmuid Barron – 7.5
Calm, composed and exceptional with his line-out throwing, Barron, along with the rest of Munster, looks far more assured under interim forwards coach Alex Codling. In the loose, Barron carried well and fronted up defensively.

3. John Ryan – 7
Trucking along for another 55-minute performance, Ryan put in a strong shift alongside Bleuler and Barron to ensure Munster ended with a 100% record at scrum and line-out time. Although he was a step behind Barron and Bleuler in carries, he had a few nice touches and looked comfortable distributing.

4. Evan O’Connell – 7.5
The latest in a line of exceptional former Ireland U20 talent to go through this season, O’Connell is exactly what Munster was pining for. Although he was lightly used at line-out time as Peter O’Mahony ruled the roost he played his role in this department. Claiming kick-offs, hitting rucks and making his tackles, it was a really solid first Champions Cup outing for the 20-year-old.

Sometimes,stating the obvious is the only option; O’Connell is such a polished prospect and has the feel of a future Munster captain.

5. Fineen Wycherley – 7
Finding his feet as a more senior player in the Munster set-up, the Bantry native is arguably having his best season for the province. Getting through a mountain of work again today with 17 tackles, 8 carries, 3 line-outs won, and a turnover, Wycherley did the hard yards.

6. Peter O’Mahony – 8.5
Unlike previous years, O’Mahony has come back to Munster and looks better than when he was with Ireland. Nabbing 11 line-outs, carrying well and generally disrupting Stade Francais’s flow, the veteran looked up for the fight. Whilst his future remains up in the air, it was pretty clear again tonight just how influential he is for Munster on the big occasions.

7. Alex Kendellen – 8
Brimming with confidence following his exposure to the national set-up in recent months, Kendellen is one of those players with whom Andy Farrell has clearly seen the potential. This evening, he was everywhere, carrying hard to top the charts in terms of meters made by a Munster forward (45), making his tackle (14) and threatening the breakdown. His development is a major boost for Ian Costello’s side as it offers them a great 1-2 punch with John Hodnett.

8. Gavin Coombes – 9
Once again, he was a standout performer for Munster and was rewarded with a well-taken try. Whilst he might not pop off the screen like other Irish backrows, the former Bandon Grammar student gets through such an impressive volume of work. Topping the carries (17), tackles made (18), offloads (3) and turnovers (2) charts says it all really about the number eight’s evening.

9. Craig Casey – 8.5
Building on his Autumn Nations Series performances, it is fair to say Casey ‘has taken the step’ from a good but inconsistent player to a top-quality test scrumhalf. Barking at his forwards, whipping the ball out of the ruck and kicking well, Casey dictated the pace of proceedings today. Crucially, he identified when Munster needed control and took it upon himself to control the breakdown and put his team in the right places.

10. Jack Crowley – 7.5
Mirroring his halfback partner, Crowley was exceptional today, and most importantly for himself, he was very good off the kicking tee. Managing the very challenging conditions with aplomb, he put Munster in the right areas with his tactical kicking, challenged the line with his running game and distributed well. As was well-publicised over the past month, Crowley is a true competitor, and you could see there was a ‘bite’ to his performance this evening.

11. Thaakir Abrahams – 9
Munster’s magic dust, the South African flyer, is exactly what the Munster backline has been crying for over the past few years. Posing a threat every time he touches the ball, irrespective of where he is in the park, Abrahams takes the pressure off the likes of Crowley to create opportunities. Claiming a second try in two weeks, he looks to be getting back to his best following a challenging start to his time in Limerick.

12. Alex Nankivell – 7.5
Perhaps fortunate to have avoided a red card in the first half, the Kiwi centre bounced back to put in a very solid shift. The former Chief is a foundation piece of the Munster game, straightening the Munster attack when necessary, making momentum-shuddering tackles, and posing a turnover threat in the wider channels.

13. Tom Farrell – 8
Playing his role as the creative foil to Nankivell, Farrell was once again the perfect facilitator for Munster’s all-court game plan. Making perfect defensive reads, beating defenders, offloading and scoring a try of his own, it was another strong showing from the former Connacht centre.

14. Calvin Nash – 6
Not quite a vintage performance from Nash who looked rusty following his lack of game time in recent weeks. Irrespectiv,e he was solid with some good moments in attack and chased kicks with vigour.

15. Shane Daly – 7.5
Another week, another try; the fullback is a silky smooth operator who knows exactly when to join the attack. His ability to read phases and hit the perfect line makes him so challenging to defence. Under the high ball, he was once again rock solid, whilst his tactical kicking was good once again.

Replacements
16. Niall Scannell – 6.5
Continued Barron’s solid work at set piece time and had a few good carries at a point where the match got a bit loose.

17. Kieran Ryan – 6
Growing into his role as a senior pro, the former Ireland U20 has the potential to develop into a reliable player for the province. Overall, Munster are managing him well and he looked more comfortable this evening.

18. Stephen Archer – 6
What more can you say about the veteran? Whilst he is unlikely to pull off a long-range pass like Tadhg Furlong, he does his job well and never lets the side down. He scrummaged well this evening and made his tackles at a point where Munster could’ve imploded.

19. Tadhg Beirne – 5
It was a quiet showing by the skipper, which is unsurprising given the minutes he played during the Autumn Nations Series. Replacing Evan O’Connell for thirty minutes of action, he didn’t have any major impact on what was at that point a sloppy match.

20. John Hodnett – 5.5
Mirroring his skipper, the Roscarberry man was quiet by his standards, especially when compared to Kendellen. Still, he had a few strong carries and noticeable tackles.

21. Paddy Paterson – 5
Solid in replacement of Casey, the 26-year-old is a good like-for-like replacement with his ability to push the tempo of a fixture. Completing 15 passes, Patterson played his role in the final block.

22. Billy Burns – 5
Replacing Abrahams as a precaution, Burns’s addition meant Crowley shifted to fullback. His best piece of play was a nice quick pass from a loop run, which got the ball out the back and on the way to Coombes for the final try.

23. Jack O’Donoghue – 5
Fairly quiet in his twenty minutes on the park, the 30-year-old got through his work and played a role in stopping Stade’s late push for points.