The result will be unpalatable, the nature of the defeat even more so, from a Munster perspective, the home side tormented by lineout turnovers, passing inaccuracy and two from five place-kicking statistics, having outscored Castres by five tries to four.
No one will seek consolation in the context of losing at home and been shown the door in the Champions Cup on home turf, least of all Craig Casey, but some time in the future he should reflect on this display with pride. While all around him lost their heads, he kept his; he could have done little more to try and drag his team to victory.
On any other night Casey’s outstanding performance would have dominated the headlines but it will be overshadowed by the defeat. The scrumhalf made a remarkable recovery from a significant blow to his shoulder A/C joint in Toulon, that saw him at one point with his arm cradled in the nap on his jersey, to taking his place in the starting team for the Castres match.
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Any qualms as to his wellbeing were erased on the basis that he survived two of the filling-loosening tackles from first Castres wing Christian Ambadiang and then flanker Baptiste Cope, neither of which he saw coming. The audible groan from the stands was both fearful and laced with concern as the Munster supporters crossed fingers and toes that the scrumhalf would emerge unscathed.
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He showed not a flicker of pain as he bounced back into the game, a genuine poker face that hid whatever discomfort he must surely have felt. His value to the team was reinforced for the remainder of the half, as he scored Munster’s two tries in the opening 40 minutes, running a clever inside support line to take Jack O’Donoghue’s pass.
Even though Casey was felled short of the line his momentum and the greasy surface allowed him to slide over the line. He might have had a second try, soon after but after completing the tougher part of the assignment Thaakir Abrahams – he frequently beat multiple tacklers – threw a scoring pass to the turf with Casey anticipating an unencumbered run to the line.
The Munster scrumhalf did get a second try, a smart finish demonstrating good footwork in a tight space close to the touchline. It drew his side back on level terms at 12-12 but the home side could not get out of their way for long enough and conceded a try just before half-time.
It looked like Jack O’Donoghue and Casey had Theo Cabouni’s chip covered but the ball squirted loose and the Castres fullback followed up to touch down. Casey, sharp of mind and deed, must have fervently wished that his team-mates could respond with a little more clarity and composure to his clever promptings.
Fineen Wycherley was the beneficiary of Casey’s beautifully timed pass on 54-minutes that sent the secondrow through a gap and into the Castres 22 but like so many moments it withered on foot of an error. The scrumhalf again turned creator when making a one-handed catch behind his back and in the same movement dropping the ball on to his foot to grubber kick through.
Christian Ambadiang won the footrace, but what was patently obvious was Casey’s dexterity and vision. Two tries from replacement Edwin Edogbo gave the home side a flicker of hope, but the second one, came too late with 90-seconds remaining to give Munster a proper shot at redemption.
