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Munster walloped in Wales Several members of Ireland’s
Rugby World Cup squad returned to action against Ospreys at the weekend
but it wasn’t enough to stop the Irish province slumping to their
second defeat in a week.
Peter Stringer, Alan Quinlan and Brian Carney all lined out for the Reds
but Declan Kidney’s men made little impression on the match as they
lost 16-3 to a Welsh side which looked sharper and hungrier throughout.
Having lost to Cardiff Blues in their previous Magners League match Munster
are now rooted to the bottom of the table.
Declan Kidney’s men will be hoping that the return of Ronan O’Gara,
Paul O’Connell and the rest of the international contingent will
restore their fortunes, as their replacements proved less than adequate
on Sunday night.
O’Gara’s understudy at fly-half Paul Warwick endured a torrid
time and was replaced midway through the game by Jeremy Manning whose
penalty provide the only points of the match for Munster.
The only positive to emerge form the game from a Munster point of view
was the performance of Brian Carney.
The former Rugby League star is still finding his feet in Union but he
was Munster’s best player against the Ospreys defending tenaciously
and providing most of the creative spark.
Next up for Declan Kidney’s men is a clash with Glasgow Warriors
on Saturday week. The international players are expected to be back for
that match and given the Reds poor run of form that can’t happen
soon enough for fans of Munster rugby. |
