Ospreys vs Munster Rabbo Pro 12 - post match discussion

First topic message reminder :

Date: Saturday, September 29
Kick-off: 18:30 BST
Venue: Liberty Stadium
Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Rhys Thomas (Wales), Greg Morgan (Wales)
Television match official: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)

Ospreys

15 Richard Fussell
14 Hanno Dirksen
13 Andrew Bishop
12 Ashley Beck
11 Tom Isaacs
10 Dan Biggar
9 Kahn Fotuali'i
1 Ryan Bevington
2 Richard Hibbard
3 Aaron Jarvis
4 Alun Wyn Jones (Capt)
5 Ian Evans
6 Ryan Jones
7 Justin Tipuric
8 Joe Bearman

REPLACEMENTS

16 Scott Baldwin
17 Duncan Jones
18 Adam Jones
19 Jonathan Thomas
20 George Stowers
21 Rhys Webb
22 Matthew Morgan
23 Ross Jones



Munster

1 Wian du Preez
2 Mike Sherry
3 Stephen Archer
4 Donncha O'Callaghan
5 Billy Holland
6 Tommy O'Donnell
7 Niall Ronan
8 Paddy Butler
9 Conor Murray
10 Ronan O'Gara
11 Simon Zebo
12 Casey Laulala
13 Keith Earls
14 Doug Howlett
15 Denis Hurley

16 Damien Varley
17 Dave Kilcoyne
18 BJ Botha
19 Donnacha Ryan
20 Peter O'Mahony
21 Peter Stringer
22 Ian Keatley
23 James Downey

Waay! There's one of the Munster team speaking Cymraeg! That's unusual.

O's nearing the line again...come on boys! Get over!

Old Mother Hibbard is in!!!!

28 - 15

Fat hairdresser rolls his way over, eventually.

23-15 now - Munster sneaking back into it and the difference is the pack. The substitutions were critical and they seemed to have worked.

Zebo looking tough and busy, Howlett looking useful.

Whoops, Hibbard just scores. I'll shut my yapper then.

One thing is for sure - Tipuric holds the Wales 7 shirt.

Cari wrote:Waay! There's one of the Munster team speaking Cymraeg! That's unusual.

I know a couple Irish lasses that did Welsh at Uni. Strange but true.

Converted!

30 - 15.

About 11 minutes to go.

Great break by Biggar, but no support. They should've got a bonus point try there, but Howlett saves Munster's necks. R-JO! What was that?! LOL A drop goal attempt or a pissstake?

Can I just check how p!ssed off the Welsh posters are with the constant Irish commentator's references to "Llanelli'?

I'm watching Yng Gymraeg George.

Munster looking decidedly second best.

The interpro next week could be a drab affair if Leinster and Munster continue these poor performances.

Ulster and Connacht definitely take the plaudits this weekend in the Pro 12. Welsh sides weren't bad either, I suppose.

Cari wrote:I'm watching Yng Gymraeg George.

Just as well, I think, Cari.

Ref missed a forward pass there, Munster still on the attack then. They're less than ten metres out. Earls drops the ball anyway thank goodness.

Some off the ball action involving Munster 16 kicking Alybong in the chops! Red card coming!!!!

Damien Varley! Shame on you lad. Red card.

Munster's FIFTH red card of the season?

Can't believe the scoreline is only 30-15 Munster have been demolished here. Their pack have been battered.

Ryan Jones and Tipuric have been awesome.

Apart from Earls sensational cover tackle there aren't many positives here for Munster.

George Carlin wrote:Can I just check how p!ssed off the Welsh posters are with the constant Irish commentator's references to "Llanelli'?

George, I expect most welsh posters are watching in Wales on S4C either in Welsh (standard option) or in English on the red button but spoken by a Welshman! I don't think we can pick up ROI tv in Wales, unfortunately (it would be great to see the non welsh involved Leinster and Munster home games).

If that kick in the chops happened to an O's player in Ireland they'd probably do f'all about it. I didn't see the kick btw, not even on the replay.

Right, there's no reason why the O's can't get a bonus point win here now Munster are down to 14.

Webb and Stowers on.

Griff wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Can I just check how p!ssed off the Welsh posters are with the constant Irish commentator's references to "Llanelli'?

George, I expect most welsh posters are watching in Wales on S4C either in Welsh (standard option) or in English on the red button but spoken by a Welshman! I don't think we can pick up ROI tv in Wales, unfortunately (it would be great to see the non welsh involved Leinster and Munster home games).

Aha. Am watching RWE online. And listening to Bill McLaren in my head, which I do quite a lot.

Jones for MoM tonight - he's been big.

Oh dear another knock on by Earls. Morgs on for Beck. He's not a bad little kicker.

Not putting Morgan at 12 are they... You know where Casey is going when he gets the ball.

O's have great attacking position now. Biggar's kicked for the corner. 5 metre lineout and they've won the lineout.

Aww schitt, penalty Munster and Earls is away, but thankfully dumped into touch by Tippy...missed what was going on there because the cameraman was showing Tippy and I could hear the crowd roaring about something else...nice one S4C.

Apparenly Alybong was kicked in the family jewels not the chops ooh!

Munster still have possession...but at the moment the O's defence has been solid.

Old Mother Hibbard Seren Y Gem (MOTM)

Biggar should've kicked that out really because we're in the 82nd minute but they're trying for the BP. Ball lost.

Game over.

FT 30 - 15.

Well played Spreys - well worth the win.

Off to bed.

Well played Ospreys .

Back to the drawing board for Munster I'm afraid. You can't play attacking rugby without a platform from the pack. Battered up front, lost the collisions, hammered at the breakdown and on the back foot all night.

Looks like Ospreys (and Treviso) are coming into form ahead of the HC starting in two weeks. Could make an interesting group.

Well done Ospreys, beat a dirt team and the ref today, the guy gave the Ospreys nothing at the break down,
Munster enjoyed there usual free reign at the breakdown but it was good to the Ospreys just get on with there game and not let it get them down

who the hell would want to be in Toulouse ,Tigers, Ospreys and Treviso group in the HC?!

rodders wrote:Well played Ospreys .

Back to the drawing board for Munster I'm afraid. You can't play attacking rugby without a platform from the pack. Battered up front, lost the collisions, hammered at the breakdown and on the back foot all night.

Don't necessarily agree with that, they're trying to play the right type of game, the problem tonight was there players. Once they bring back in certain players, and banish one, they will be much better.

Ospreys have looked weak in the scrums with that front row, up until the Scarlets game. I can't work out if it's them picking things up a bit or the opposition. Saying that, was surprised to see Munster 2nd best up front after years of them being so strong in that area. DOC is well past it. D Ryan is a good player but seems weak for a lock, is he a converted back-row player?

Morgannwg wrote:Ospreys have looked weak in the scrums with that front row, up until the Scarlets game. I can't work out if it's them picking things up a bit or the opposition. Saying that, was surprised to see Munster 2nd best up front after years of them being so strong in that area. DOC is well past it. D Ryan is a good player but seems weak for a lock, is he a converted back-row player?

He is a lock, but he has always had trouble putting on weight. I wouldn't call him weak though, its only his first game back and he was a lot better than those he replaced.

When Irish teams implode they implode beautifully. No other nation's sides die so dramatically as an Irish side unzipping horrifically in public. They don't do mediocre let downs.

But the blame for it all tonight was yes, a firey Ospreys, but also very much Penney for his selections and timing of the replacements. A rude awakening for Munster and Leinster in the lead in to HEC. Time isn't on either side's...side. BUT...................................

...what better way to begin a big prize fight than to have your face slapped a few times. A painful weekend for the two of them but it'll certainly concentrate minds now. Having to fight to regain authority might create more passion. Munster might have to renew a friendship with a more dogged game to settle themselves down. Leinster........... well, the clutch might be gone.... should'a bought an automatic.

Can anyone explain why Munster kept trying to play when the clock was red, they were down to 14 and all that was at stake was the Os possibly getting a turn over and a TBP?

The only good thing they did was the Munster defiance at the end. Yes, it wasn't going anywhere and didn't amount to a hill of beans, and was dicey in that it might have eventually given Osprey's the bonus point.

But I liked it. It was old dog disregard for the safety horn of the red clock. Red Munster red mist, call it what you will - but at least I recognised them as Munster then.

I'd imagine they were playing for pride Mrs P but it wasn't the smartest thing to do.

SecretF,

I get what you are saying but that could have been a very costly "Red Mist" come April, no?

MrsP wrote:SecretF,

I get what you are saying but that could have been a very costly "Red Mist" come April, no?

Ah... a bonus here or there. You're going to be risking those through the season anyway. No, I thought they needed to find some Munster spirit when the skills and strategy and everything else was melting before them. And they never did find any Munster dog until the end. Of course it was over, Ospreys were practically allowing them their impotent flurry and yes, they might have suffered more. But if you have the attitude that a bonus point might prove your ondoing by the end of the season then you're probably already also putting out your white flag of no hope. It was a defiance stamp even more than a pride one, I think - the pride had falllen long before then. Yeah, I liked it.

I thought it was daft myself but...

#whateverkeepsyahappy!

The way Munster played tonight a bonus point to the Ospreys is the least of their worries......

I agree with fly scoring a consolation try would have at least gave them something positive to take from the game, even if a losing bonus was out of reach.

Mad I tells ya!

Mad the lot of ye!

Looking at the Table after the games and at first glance you don't know if you're looking at the right year. It just looks a little out of synch with the current form graph.

Yes, I know Ulster are there at the top by birthright ...ahem, I mean by games won rights. But the rest of them seem to be in places they shouldn't be, even though I appreciate of course that they are where they belong.

A topsy turvy season so far and maybe Munster afterall ain't as dumb as I thought they've been tonight. I think they have some good calculators in the background too - they always have had the human calculators

I'm not sure what this "current form graph" is Fly?



I thought that's what the last column was supposed to show, no?



So...

What order would you have the teams in on "current form" then?

We could call that table,

The SECRET table

Are you thinking I'm suggesting that Ulster shouldn't be top, Mrs P?

No, no, no... they're where they should be on The Secret Table. Rest easy.

No, I was just refering to the idea that when Munster look at that table with the game they've just had, against the opposition they've just encountered... to use the old sporting cliche, I think they'll actually be pretty pleased overall.
3rd from the top, and the team that has just comprehensively beaten them (and last year's winners) languishing still six places beneath them. Leinster three places beneath them. Edinburgh (the team of alleged promise this season) four places beneath them.

Along with Ulster, those sides mentioned are probably the sides Munster will be, or would have been, keeping closest eyes on as their most serious challengers for seasons honours. So, despite the misery of tonight, they're still looking down the table when they look at their nearest rivals (apart from Ulster!). I think they're cute hoors enough to know that's a lucky perch to be on, playing whatever they've just played that wasn't Pro12 standard rugby. Time is more on their side to improve their game than perhaps I thought

SecretFly wrote:Are you thinking I'm suggesting that Ulster shouldn't be top, Mrs P?

No, no, no... they're where they should be on The Secret Table. Rest easy.

Would I ever think such a thought Secret?



I am only messing really.

Although you may be talking "this weekend's form" only, no? Munster looked pretty tasty last week by all accounts.

I don't know., Mrs P (about Munster last week)..I thought they were tasty. But I felt a little unsure whether it was as solid as it looked and said so before this weekend's game. It proved it still needs lots and lots and lots of work. It (the new way) just fell apart tonight against genuine opposition. So, they'll need time but they have a slight cushion, considering where other sides that have ambition are.

I think Ospreys have gotten back their mojo so I guess on my Secret Table, I'd have them much higher form wise than they are really showing on that official table.

Leinster............big mystery. The game next week between Leinster and Munster will be a puzzle - nobody can really now predict what will happen as both sides have shown shiny parts and both have shown terrible parts.

Will only one of them shine next week? Which of them will it be? Or will both of them return with a punch? We don't know what to expect. But I think they both have very questionable form, and I think it's genuine (not a put on or a plan to save energy) They're both there for the taking, they're vulnerable against good sides.

But also!!! Hmmm... Connacht v Ulster. It looked a forgone conclusion a week ago but.......................... another interesting battle to look forward to. Topsy turvy might be the catchphrase for this season

Classic match. Just watched it...

Munster fans you really are being hard on yourselves, you played well, bar the scrum.

Ospreys must be very proud, that was a superb performance and the kind of stuff that will start to fill the liberty week in week out if it is to continue.

I thought the red card was the wrong decision in the replay, he didn't kick AWJ in the face.

Munster were well beaten in the pack tonight. Archer starting was a potential disaster against a strong O's scrum and so it turned out.

The subs made a difference but Donnacha Ryan and O'Mahony looked well off the pace. I can't see either of them lasting 80 min against Leinster if they start.

Dave O'Callaghan, Botha and Dougal were missed big time. They'll be back next week to add a bit of bite to the pack.

ROG and Stringer have been playing pro rugby together for well over decade now and it shows. Keatley should be the number 1 now and I'd have JJ Hanrahan as number 2.

maestegmafia wrote:Classic match. Just watched it...

Munster fans you really are being hard on yourselves, you played well, bar the scrum.

Ospreys must be very proud, that was a superb performance and the kind of stuff that will start to fill the liberty week in week out if it is to continue.

I thought the red card was the wrong decision in the replay, he didn't kick AWJ in the face.

We should give the O's more credit but we don't like losing