Another loss to this star-studded team but the gap seems to be narrowing if you compare this result to the previous semi-final meetings (32-16 in Coventry in April and 26-10 in the Aviva two years previously). It is disappointing not to have shared the spoils 5-5 from the head-to-head. Instead the defending champions have the advantage of the losing bonus point from their trip to Thomond so it will all come down to how both teams fare in the final games against Racing. Saracens will have home advantage but there could be some twists and turns yet to go in this super competitive pool.
It will also have been a very informative game for the new coaches to see how much progress has been made / is yet to be made, especially given that it appears from newspaper reports that Munster will field a weaker team for the Leinster home game in December to give the world cup players a 2 week break. That knowledge gained could be crucial at the business end of the season.
The ankle fracture suffered by Tadhg Beirne is very disappointing especially for the player himself. Yet given the disruption of losing our 2 best poachers and lineout experts in Peter pre-kick-off and Tadhg after ten minutes it was some achievement to hold Saracens at home to just three points until the 66th minute! Mind the gap and let’s see it closed further hopefully by the end of the season.
The highlights don’t reflect the drama of the game, two teams going at it hammer and tong, no quarter being given. Scrapping for every inch of territory, looking for the edge in the scrum, the upper hand in the lineout. it was compelling even if my view wasn’t great.
Stats can be seen on ESPN here. Match reports from The42.ie, Irish Examiner, Irish Times. You can also check out Tom Savage (of ThreeRedKings fame) in his column in the Examiner here
I thought I had bought seats between the 22 and the try line and was really disappointed when I got to the west stand to find it was a temporary type structure and my view was blocked by a pillar, the clock and the cameraman! At £37 for the seat I was not impressed! I got some fun engagement on twitter from tweeting that photo. Read more here…
Leave a Reply