by Syriana
...And a Happy New Year!
Not so long ago we were thanking Munster for an early Christmas present after their 4 try demolition of Perpignan away from home. A month later here we are again, but this time reflecting on a 6 try rout of Benetton Treviso. At Treviso 7 - Munster 44 the scoreline appears to tell a story all of it's own, that of a comprehensive victory against a team who offered little in the form of resistance. Such an assertion however does justice to neither team, not to a Munster team who displayed passages of blistering brilliance nor to a Treviso team who's dogged determination prevented a more startling scoreline.
A little under 2 minutes in and Munster were fortunate not to be 3 points down, a soft penalty conceded and Marius Goosen missing the target. By the 12th minute, that 3 point opportunity must have felt like a lush oasis in the middle of a desert. Munster's reply was swift and brutal; a scrum, a break by Keith Earls and some good hands by Paul O'Connell scythed the Treviso defence wide open and sent Denis Hurley in for the first try of the match on 3 minutes 30 seconds. It was the start of a torrid period for the Italian side as the holes in their defensive systems were ruthlessly marked out in the red blurs of 2 more tries.
Slick hands in mid field left Treviso reeling and by the time Dougie Howlett had completely wrong footed them with a neat change of angle, all they could do was get in each other way as the pass went out to Earls who dotted down for his first try of the day – 6 minutes down, 74 minutes to go. Had it not already been clear that Munster in the mood to play attacking and running rugby, the statement would have been made when O'Gara opted to take a tap penalty in his own half rather than go down the line. To many it may have seemed an unusual decision, especially when a knock on meant possession being lost, but when a free kick was conceded at the scrum the ball made it's way to Goosen who helpfully kicked it straight to Howlett. The pass was made to Paul Warwick who, for the umpteenth time this season showed both his pace and his class. The support was there when he was eventually brought to ground and the ball made it to Niall Ronan who had Donncha O'Callaghan outside him. This is where Treviso showed their naivety, an incomplete tackle on O'Callaghan as he passed the ball to David Wallace left him free to run a support line straight into space. He received the return pass without a defender anywhere near him, the try pretty much a foregone conclusion as soon as he got the ball. In under the posts, for the first time in 3 seasons...his 4 week break obviously agreed with him!
Many teams would have been cowed by the total domination displayed by Munster in the opening 11 minutes, but even after a penalty goal took the score to 0-20 the fire was still there from Treviso. They should consider themselves unfortunate not to be the recipients of a penalty try after some very sloppy scrummaging on the part of the visitors, but a loose pass from Tomás O'Leary under pressure at the breakdown handed the intercept to Alessandro Zanni. The try was duly converted and provided a glimmer of hope, but few believed that a turn around was possible. By the time Paul Warwick put in a fantastic run and collected his own kick ahead to collect the bonus point try, there was still over 46 minutes remaining and the game close to being won.
The next 30 minutes of the match settled into a strange rhythm, where Munster appeared to try and play too much rugby and didn't achieve much – maybe they subconsciously took their foot of the peddle or Treviso tightened up but it was Jean DeVilliers who provided the next break in centre field. His hand-off alone would be formidable, but his ability to accelerate out of the manoeuvre is frankly scary. He punched the hole and gave the pass to Earls who was in an acre of space...try number 2 thank you very much! The raft of replacements in the last 20 minutes didn't upset matters and the replacements wanted a piece of the try scoring action – Damien Varley knocking on as he crossed the line. Donnacha Ryan was somewhat more fortunate though, when DeVilliers pass from the ground bounced off a Treviso hand he pounced on it. Questionable or otherwise, the try was given and the conversion was the last act of the match.
The final score was perhaps a little flattering to Munster and a little harsh on their hosts, but there was a class difference on that pitch and it's a difference that will only change if or when Treviso start to get more top level matches. Munster have a good deal to work on before next week with both the penalty count and the number of turnover's conceded being against them, but it was probably the most complete match of the season to date. My own opinion is that the the DeVilliers/Earls pairing should be left together, they appeared to complement each other well but Northampton will provide a more realistic test of what they have to offer as a unit.
So now to Thomond Park for the final showdown, Munster will need to up the intensity again if they are to qualify... yet again!
