Following Munster’s narrow 25-24 victory over La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup, here are our winners and losers from a remarkable game at the Stade Marcel Deflandre.
Winners
Jack Crowley
Much has been said and written about the Ireland fly-half in recent weeks, especially with his contract negotiations with the IRFU still ongoing but Crowley showed in this fixture that he is a player for the big occasion.
The 25-year-old showed his class with an excellent all-round performance as he was brilliant on attack and did not shirk his defensive duties while his game management was superb, especially during the game’s closing stages when the match was in the balance.
Crowley left his stamp on this match when he coolly slotted a 45-metre drop goal which gave his side a crucial eight-point lead and his efforts were rewarded when he walked off with the official man-of-the-match award after the game.
Tadhg Beirne
As usual, Munster‘s skipper was at the forefront of the Irish province’s onslaught as he came to the fore with a superb all-round performance and was unlucky to lose out to Crowley for the man-of-the-match award.
Beirne led from the front as he took the fight to his opponents with several strong carries on attack, a high work-rate on defence, as he caught the eye with some big tackles and he competed ferociously at the breakdowns.
The utility forward won a crucial turnover in the latter department in the game’s closing stages and also proved to be a valuable source of lineout possession as he won balls on his own throw-ins and put plenty of competed for La Rochelle’s balls.
Apart from his individual performance, Beirne also impressed with his decision making and calm leadership especially during the dying moments of the game when the result could have gone either way.
Craig Casey
The diminutive number nine has been sidelined for most of the season following knee surgery but returned to action in recent weeks and has hit the ground running with his performance against La Rochelle superb.
Midway through the opening half, the 25-year-old was rewarded for good support play – after an excellent line break from Thaakir Abrahams – with a well-taken try and he continued to provide an attacking threat as the match progressed.
Casey combined brilliantly on attack with his half-back partner Crowley and varied his play well with clever offloads to his forwards at close quarters while his kicking out of hand was also of a high standard.
He was eventually replaced by Conor Murray in the 67th minute but will be happy with his overall performance.
Calvin Nash
From the outset the Ireland speedster looked dangerous with all in hand and although he did not cross the whitewash, he showed his class with some barnstorming runs.
Like the other afremtioned Ireland stars in the Munster side, Nash led the way on either side of the ball but made his biggest impact in the execution of his defensive duties which was excellent throughout.
The 27-year-old best moment of the match came early in the second half when he prevented a certain try when he tackled La Rochelle and France back-row into touch at the corner flag.
That brilliant piece of defence should not be underestimated as the score was 10-10 at the time and a La Rochelle try at that stage of the match could easily have given the hosts a boost at a critical stage of the clash.
Losers
Teddy Thomas
The former Les Bleus made a brilliant start to this match he set off on a mazy run soon after the kick off before offloading to Tawera Kerr-Barlow on his inside and the scrum-half dotted down but the try was disallowed as Thomas had stepped into touch in the bild-up.
Depite that setback, the experienced flyer continued to be a threat on attack as he kept Munster’s defence on their toes throughout with some barnstorming runs.
However, with the scores level at 10-10 early in the second half, La Rochelle took the ball through several phases with their forwards before striking out wide and the ball came to Thomas, who had a clear run-in over the tryline.
He did not take that option though and opted to break to his inside instead where he was stopped just short of the whitewash by the Munster defence. The visitors managed to get out of trouble and were rewarded shortly afterwards when Coombs scored his trry.
Dillyn Leyds
Like Thomas, the former Springboks flyer asked several questions of the visitors’ defence but he will want to forget this match in a hurry as he made a couple crucial errors which had an impact in the bigger scheme of things.
In the 51st minute, La Rochelle wer under the cosh with Munster on the attack deep inside their 22 and Leyds prevented a certain try when he knocked on a pass from Casey to Andrew Smith.
Referee Andrea Piardi had no option but to send Leyds to the sin bin and although he did not award the visitors a penalty try, their numerical advantage was soon rewarded when Smith crossed the whitewash a minute later.
Leyds eventually returned to the fray but in the game’s closing stages, he was pinned for holding onto the ball on the ground when La Rochelle was on the attack deep inside Munster territory.
Ronan O’Gara
As a Munster legend, this was the game which the La Rochelle head coach really wanted to win and his side came desperately close to achieving that goal but it wasn’t to be and, as the scoreline suggests, the match could have gone either way.
However, it wasn’t to be and this defeat will be painful one for O’Gara as apart from it being against the team which he represented with great distinction, this result means that La Rochelle’s winless streak continues and they have now failed to register a victory in nine consecutive matches.
La Rochelle last clinched a victory on January 4, when they beat Toulouse at home in a Top 14 clash, and for O’Gara, focus now turns to France’s domestic competition where his club’s poor form has seen them drop down to 10th position in the standings. That means the heat is on the coach to turn things around.
Alex Kendellen
The 24-year-old finished on the winning side but things could have been so much different for him and his team after he was yellow carded by Piardi during the game’s closing stages.
Kendellen came onto the field in the 63rd minute as a replacement for John Hodnett and soon after he entered the fray, the Munster back-row was in the thick of the action as La Rochelle launched a lineout drive deep inside Munster territory.
The visitors managed to halt La Rochelle’s momentum close to the try-line but did so illegally and after checking television replays, Kendellen was identified as the guilty party and received his marchin orders, while the hosts were also awarded a penalty try.
Munster eventually narrowed the gap via Crowley’s drop goal while Kendellen was off the field and spared the replacement’s blushes.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/la-rochelle-v-munster-winners-and-losers-as-the-heat-is-on-ronan-ogara-while-visitors-ireland-stars-lead-the-way
