Munster earn their turkey, Leinster's goose cooked

RUGBY:Dismal defeats for two other provinces had left Irish Heineken European Cup hopes hanging, if not by a thread, then entirely on Munster shoulders. Some might say the entire Irish season hinged on the outcome of their game against Llanelli yesterday. We needn't have worried, though being the drama kings they are, how Thomond Park did.

Notions of Llanelli being rolled over in a bonus-point romp after Munster had won in Stradey Park the week before were dispelled as early as the 11th minute, when Stephen Jones, returning to a stronger selection from injury, sauntered through a strangely porous Munster defence to cancel out Jerry Flannery's well-taken early score.

While the pitch was unseasonally dry, the day was bitingly cold, and there had been a feeling of unease from the start of a Sunday-lunchtime kick-off in their half-built citadel - though it's clearly going to be something special when finished.

Attempts at launching into The Fields largely petered out almost apologetically until the winning post was in sight. It was clearly an unusually dry crowd too.

Llanelli won the toss, played into the breeze and, trailing only 14-7, were led off at the break in a manner that evoked memories of the 1987 World Cup pool decider when Jonathan Davies and co eagerly made their way to the interval dressing-room after a similar containing job on Ireland en route to beating Mick Doyle's team.

Facing into the wind and leading 17-13 with 65 minutes gone, Munster were pitched into a full-blown crisis when Marcus Horan was shown the yellow card - even flirting with a red one then and later upon his return - for renewing his private battle with last week's villain of the piece, Deacon Manu.

But as so often, in their greatest moment of need Munster rallied, a rejuvenated Denis Leamy and Flannery providing the means whereby the backs put together their best handling of the game for Brian Carney to seal a 22-13 win.

"That's just the quality of the side," remarked coach Declan Kidney in recounting the 14-man response. "The statistics show that when you're down a man you generally concede seven to 10 points. So to score the try was equal to a 17-point turnaround statistically."

Munster thus remain afloat atop the shark-infested Pool Five, albeit by a point from Wasps, with Clermont, their next opponents, four points off the pace but very much in contention. Munster's failure to obtain a bonus point against Llanelli, as Wasps and Clermont have done, will no doubt be cited by prophets of doom, but a near identical scenario unfolded in the back-to-back games against the Dragons two years ago and Munster still went on to not only pip Sale in the pool but also win the Cup.

Asked about the failure to get a bonus point Kidney retorted: "I thought we got four of them. It's just a personal thing but I think if we get greedy we're in trouble. No team has ever beaten Llanelli back to back. If you get greedy in life you'll never get anything. I don't want to philosophise about this too much, but everybody would like everything."

Clermont's comeback and their eye-catching finishing power - notably when the flying Fijian sidestepper Filimoni Delasau replaced Aurélien Rougerie to score one of the tries of the tournament - in earning a losing bonus point away to Wasps on Saturday has kept them very much in contention.

Kidney put into perspective the size of the task facing Munster when they visit the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin next month by reminding us Clermont had run up 84 points (and 10 tries) in putting Llanelli and Wasps to the sword at home.

"It's one hell of a place to go," he smiled.

"We're going to have a huge game in 11 days' time," he added, in reference to the intervening December 27th derby with Connacht, "against a team who have the carrot of qualifying for the Heineken Cup. So that will be another massive game. But we have Christmas Day before then and we'll enjoy a slice of turkey."

For Leinster though, it will be goose this Christmas, and rightly cooked it already is too.

"The team is not going backwards," maintained Michael Cheika after their crushingly disappointing 29-10 defeat to Edinburgh. "You've got to look at development in all areas. People can get on the back of that if they want to. It's far too reactive to carry on with all that stuff now."

Yet, as he conceded with disarming if perhaps ill-advised candour, Leinster are effectively out of contention before Christmas. Despite Cheika giving Leinster some overdue coaching continuity, this rudderless, error-strewn display will inevitably prompt questions about his own long-term future and that of David Knox, and even the captaincy of Brian O'Driscoll, whose ankle problems are hopefully the reason for his relatively poor form.

All this, just two weeks after toppling Munster themselves. At least, when it mattered, Munster ensured the European Cup will continue to hold Irish interest.