THE end of the 2009/10 season was not ideal for Munster Rugby. Four losses in a row, (Ospreys, Biarritz, Cardiff and Leinster) coupled with four defeats in a row to arch rivals Leinster has left the power in Irish rugby firmly in the blue corner of the former, so called, Ladyboys of Leinster.
It is hard to imagine any other team in the Magners League seeing two semi final defeats as a poor season, but then again Munster are judged on the standards they have set themselves.
As the Munster squad licked their wounds this week on a bonding session in Kerry, they must be wondering where it has all gone wrong.
The season itself was the epitome of inconsistency. Nine wins and nine losses in the Magners League. The highs of Perpignan away and Northampton at home were matched by mediocre displays against Ospreys at home and of course Leinster away.
Indeed, the best way to test yourself is against your nearly and most easily comparable rival. In the last four games against Leinster, Munster have managed only 26 points. In one game, if you need remembering, the red army drew a blank.
The forward dominated game of the past seems to be beyond the current crop. Be it age, lack of hunger or change in the rules, Munster are no longer the feared side they once were.
The most worrying sight for died in the wool fans is that it is not just one facet of play that needs correcting. It appears that all structures on the field need to be assessed.
There have been some calls from fans for certain players and coaches to walk away. That is not the answer at present, but there is one fact staring everyone in the face. Munster need a stronger squad to battle on both fronts. Players are needed to fill the gaps left when the older players are retiring or when the internationals go into camp.
The talent is coming through but it is not coming through fast enough or in the right positions.
When the ERC announced it’s team of the last 15 years in the Heineken Cup, Munster had three players on it. O Gara, Foley and Wallace. O Gara was also named the player of the last 15 years. Acknowledgement, if it was even needed, that Munster have been living the dream for the last number of years. The golden generation are not gone, but the gloss is beginning to disappear.
There will come a time when Munster are no longer World beaters and it is then that the true fabric of the team will be tested.
Now is not the time for panic, but it is the time for realisation. Changes are needed and in the coming weeks, they might just happen.
For now however, it is time for licking of wounds and begrudging those who have for what they have.
The players and management know that this crop of players need to deliver one more Heineken Cup to fulfil their own ambitions of being in the select group of three time winners. It will be a full year before we know whether it will happen, but talking about how they are going to do it is what off season is for.
Next week: The Limerick Post will have a season review with some more Munster news.
So stay tuned.
