FORGET ABOUT THE LBP, WE WON!!!
By PcPete999
October 11 2010
Unusually for a match report, I'm going to start at the end. We won. Yes we did, it wasn't a dream, and the reason for the delay in this report being posted, is that my head has only just cleared properly some 40 hours later.
Ok, so back to the start, and at half one in the afternoon I arrived at the 3 Guineas, and awaited the men from Munster that I was attending the game with. They soon arrived, and the beer and banter flowed whilst watching the appetiser that was the Leinster game. The Munster boys all seemed pretty confident, whereas I was getting nervous. This game was huge, and a home defeat first up could really prove fatal to our chances.
Having arrived at the ground early, the atmosphere was already starting to fizz, with home and away fans trading banter inside and outside the ground. As we made our way our seats the teams were warming up, and so was the crowd. By the time the two teams lined up for the minutes silence, the atmosphere was already electric. What followed was in my mind and the Munster men that I was with, the single greatest minutes silence we have ever witnessed. The fact that the whole ground erupted in applause showed the esteem in which Moss Keane was held, and was a fitting start to what then followed.
When Lamby launched the kick off into Munster territory, I, along with many I suspect, waited for Munster to try to maul forward, then pick and drive, then pick and drive again, but somehow, the ball was flung out to Earls, who stepped inside and looked to have broken the line before his offload went forward and the scrum was given. Hold on minute now, what are they doing? They're not meant to be throwing it around, that's our job, what is is going on here?
The Munster fans that I'm with seem pleased, and when they get a free kick from the scrum, these fellas are getting louder next to me and reckoning they are going away with all the points. Minutes later as Faan gets pinged for not rolling away quickly enough (not sure how quick a fella of his size can roll away to be honest) and O'Gara slots a routine one over, the Munster fans around me are buoyant and my nerves are starting to jangle somewhat.
The next few minutes seemed to flash by, and all of a sudden we are 6-3 ahead, as Ryan Lamb slots over two penalties. I'm sure someone said the boy was flaky, and would crack under pressure, but from where I'm sitting, nobody seems to have told him, as he looks calmness personified, particularly with the first kick which was far from an easy one. What with Lamb looking assured, and Maps apparently being one of a set of quintuplets (he is everywhere out there, and did you see him nail O'Gara, I was off my seat for that one), I'm getting less nervous and the Munster fans around me are a little quieter.
With both teams looking to attack, the game was being played a frenetic pace Munster however were getting no change whatsoever out of our defence, with big hit after big hit going in and repelling invaders. In attack, Losi and Delon both showed great intent, attempting to breach the opposition line, but Munster were holding firm as well, and it was clear from the opening 15 minutes minutes that a try bonus point wasn't looking likely for either team in this one.
With Kendo, Big Bob and Kieran making a complete mess of the Munster lineout, and the defence holding firm and frustrating them, in my mind it was only a matter of time before we extended the lead. I told the Munster fans this, they laughed, but on 20 minutes they looked less happy, when Lamby took his goal-kicking stats to 3 from 3 with another fine shot for a 9-3 lead.
Things were now hotting up, and both teams seemed to be getting a bit niggly. Stowers had already been spoken to by the ref along with a Munster player for an earlier altercation on the touchline, when after 22 minutes the whole ground was on its feet after a clear spear tackle on Dodge by Tuitoupu. With Delon and Keith Earls getting involved in the resulting fracas the game looked as if it could spill over, but a correct yellow card for Tuitoupu from Monsieur Berdos seemed to keep a lid on things, and the game moved on.
I said to the Munster fans around me, that they were in for a torrid ten minutes being a man short, to which they replied 'I don't hink so mate, we're Munster, it's not like playing 14 men from other teams'. They were proved to be correct, as Munster held firm for just over 9 of sin bin minutes, before our decided flaky number 10 seized the initiative when we turned the ball over in the Munster 22 and dropped a clinical goal to give us a 9 point advantage. Cue much whooping and screaming from those of us in the North stand wearing green. The Munster fans around us though are still strangely optimistic. I guess they have seen it all before and believe in their team and their ability to come back. Even when Lamby added another 3 points minutes later to make it 15-3, they didn't seem to be concerned. That was making me worry, even though on the pitch, the men in green looked firmly in control of their own destiny.
With two minutes to go until half time, Munster gave a glimpse of why their fans weren't worried. As the men in red broke down their left hand flank, Delon came in with a tackle on Howlett, that was a little high, and Monsieur Berdos held out an arm signaling advantage. As a red shirted Munsterman then broke the green defensive line and was heading under the posts, every home supporter in the ground drew a huge sigh of relief as the Frenchman with the whistle called them back for the penalty having detected a forward pass. O'Gara slotted it home, but just moments later Lamby almost restored the 12 point cushion with another drop goal that clipped the upright. 15-6 at half time it is then, and we can all rest easy for ten minutes and get our breathe back after an absorbing first half.
As the second half got underway, I hadn't quite got back to my seat, so stood and watched on steps for a moment in order to not lose sight of the pitch. And what a moment. It's Munster on the attack, and they go to the blindside. I didn't see who threw the pass, but I don't really care, it's in Topsy's hands and he's flying. It's never in doubt, he's over in the corner and it's 20-6. He's just cost me £110 as well, as I had a sneaky tenner on Losi at 10-1 to score the first try, but do I care, absolutely not. I'm in dreamland. Lamby can't quite convert, but we are two converted tries ahead and defending well. We can win this, we can.
As I get back to my seat, the Munster boys are looking a little less confident now, but I'm taking nothing for granted. Come on boys, we can do this. Munster will not lie down, and Elvis gives away a daft penalty, but O'Gara misses. Could this be our day? The game goes on at apace, and it's Munster pressing, but the defence is holding firm. Maps is still everywhere, Dodge is marshaling the team and Kendo is still ruining their lineout. But now Declan is down. This does not look good. The Hoff is on in his place, and that's no bad thing, he's a beast, but we're all praying that Deccie is ok and won't be out for long.
Did the injury affect us? I'm not sure, but Munster seemed to get on top for a sustained while. Another penalty for them at a scrum and O'Gara reduces the deficit to 11 points. Let's keep disciplined here guys, don't give them a chance. These Munster boys are not giving up, and the red support around me is getting louder. Then, what I believe was a pivotal moment in the match. The monster of a man that call 'Mushy', 21 and a half stone of tighthead prop is powering to the line with ball in is hand. In his way is Delon. As Buckley dived for the line, Delon disappeared from my view in the North Stand and the Munster fans around me screamed 'Try'. Monsieur Berdos dis not agree. 'Delon held him up' I scream. What defence, what commitment, take a bow Delon, the high tackle earlier and the errant kicks from hand this half are forgiven, and take a bow Dave Ellis, this is as good a defensive performance as I have ever seen from the boys. A converted try then and the gap would have been 4 points, who knows what might have happened.
It's still 20-9 though, but Munster will not go away, and now George has given away a penalty, which O'Gara nails and its, 20-12. Nerves are jangling now, for supporters clad in red and green. This game is on a knife edge. Can we have the final whistle now, I'll settle for this score. I know there are 12 minutes to go, but really, I will settle for it now.
The boys out there won't though. As Munster infringe again five yards inside our half, I suspect they thought they were safe, as that would be outside of Lambys range. Not Delon's though. He's going to have a crack at it, and not just that, he's nailed the thing. Eight minutes to go, we're 23-12 up now, we can do this, we really can. The clock seems to be ticking very slowly now, but it's another penalty from similar range, and Delon is going to have another go. Ok, it was close, never mind, we're still 11 points up, surely we can't lose now, there are less than 4 minutes to go.
Back come Munster, do these guys ever give up? I guess not. I guess that's why they have won the Heineken Cup twice. They're on the attack again, a little grubber for O'Gara and it bounces up into the hands of Tuitoupu. I don't believe it, he's scored. 23-17, the clock is ticking, O'Gara has fluffed the dropped conversion attempt. Are we kicking off again? No, that's the whistle. We've won. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!
The Munster fans around me are generous in defeat, they wish me all the best as I stand and scream and shout with arms raised aloft. As the players go to the fans, I go to the front of the North Stand, and shake hands with Maps. What a game, what a performance from him and the rest of the team.
The players have left the pitch, but I don't want to leave the ground. One of the Munster fans I am with says to me that he loves the MadStad, that he loved the atmosphere tonight and I feel the same. We've beaten Munster, we're top of the group. I know there are five more games, but I am going to savour this, at least for the rest of the week.
The stats that I have seen show that we made 117 tackles and missed 5, and that we soaked up huge amount of pressure from Munster. That for me is telling. People see us as a good attacking side who throw the ball around nicely, but there is more than one string to this teams bow.
I later heard that Stuart Barnes suggested that Munster would be happier with a bonus than we would be with the win. Well the Munster fan I was with didn't see it that way, neither do I, and as I understand it neither did Toby Booth. I hear that he basically said forget about the bonus point, we are going out to play and win our games, and if we do that the bonus points will be irrelevant. I couldn't agree more.
What performance, what a night. It's the Ospreys next, and a new challenge. If the boys meet it with the intensity they showed on Saturday, then who knows, we could come back with a win. Let's get behind them at the Liberty, and be our '16th man' on Friday night.
COME ON YOU IRISH!!!
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K
What a night, just hoping for more of the same on Friday.
ME
RUGBY PLAYERS DO IT WITH LEATHER BALLS