Say one thing for this Lansdowne side, they keep you guessing! After the previous week’s composed and confident win over the champions, Cork Con, fans might have been forgiven for expecting at least some of the same quality when we travelled to Limerick on the bank holiday weekend. No such luck. If anything, the score flattered us in this scrappy, hapless and flawed showing. If we want to spend the second half of the season looking over our shoulder at the relegation “broom” looming up behind us, we’re going the right way about it!

The writing was on the wall within the first few minutes. In our own half, the ball seemed to be moving smoothly through our hands as we played our way up the pitch after the restart. So far so good. However, when the ball came out on the short side, their defenders were lying in wait and hit our runner so hard that he spilled the ball. The ref played advantage as the hosts quickly recycled the ball to the openside and found, no doubt to their amazement, that no one was home, allowing their highly effective out half to run most of the half unmolested and touch down under the posts. 7 - 0 on the stroke of four minutes. This looked like it could be a long day.

Credit where it’s due, we got right back in the game and our pack seemed to have the edge in the loose play, our mobility and technique paying dividends. Back in their half, we win a penalty and outhalf Steve McMahon puts us in the corner for a lineout well inside their 22. We win and maul well, Captain (Jack) Cooke and prop Greg McGrath dominating proceedings. The ball comes back to our side and is shifted quickly through the back line when it goes to ground in what looked to this observer like a knock on by the opposition, and dare I say it, one of the deliberate variety. However, the match officials, being closer then me, thought differently and awarded the scrum to Young Munster. They won it and enjoyed an easy exit and a definite let-off. How different things might have been if that decision went another way.

Back in our half, the ghosts of past defeats started to creep back into our game. First to go was our discipline and after a penalty-free first 15 minutes, we conceded three in as many minutes, pinning us back in our 22. Quick to capitalize on their advantage, their other excellent half back, their scrum half, quickly tapped the ball and he too sauntered over untouched for their second try under the posts. 14 – 0

The only bright points at this stage were our set pieces. We were edging the scrums and killing them in the lineouts. Add to that a couple of well executed clearance boots by Steve McMahon and full back Hugo McLoughlin and we found our way out of trouble and well inside their half. After another excellently stolen lineout by our hooker Jack Treanor, the ball came out quickly to scrum half, James Kenny who was quick to seize the moment and break for the line, emulating his opposite number with an excellent try under the posts. Steve converted and it looked like we were back in the game at 14 - 7 just before the half hour mark.

But any heroic comeback before half time wasn’t to be. In fact, the game deteriorated in general for what remained of the half and we particularly struggled to maintain any shape or discipline. The hosts, though not a whole lot better, saw their opportunity and punished us. Twice.  The first blow came out of what looked like the beginning of a safe exit for us. We won our own lineout on our 22, only for the ball to be robbed from the edge of our maul (“our pockets were rightly picked there”, said one travelling fan) and for our defence to react at a speed that can best be described as “glacial”. Another try under the post and with a conversion to follow, it was 21 - 7 in injury time. But there was more to come. From the restart, they moved the ball confidently inside their half as their left wing took an inside pass from their outhalf and sped through the gap that opened in front of him, like the Red Sea before Moses. Another unopposed sprint the length of the pitch and yet again we found ourselves back under the posts watching another conversion, the only consolation being that it was missed. 26 - 7 Half time. There’d better be something in those orange segments!

The second half resumed and the solemn heads on the sideline agreed, “we need to score soon if we’re to have any chance.” But far from turning over a new leaf, we replayed the first half’s faults over and over again.  Loose and hesitant decision making and poor discipline led to another series of penalties which marched the hosts into range and gifted them another three points after ten minutes. 29 - 7. A cabinet reshuffle seemed called for and sub hooker Chris Poole and prop Tom Connolly did add some energy, while number 8 Donough Lawlor’s fighting spirit stood out. But in spite of patches of hope, there just wasn’t enough in the overall performance to mount a comeback and our forlorn efforts just seemed to tick the referee off, resulting in yet another penalty and the inevitable yellow card. Equally inevitable by now was Young Munster’s next try. Down to 14 men, our defence was even more ragged and Young Munster broke from a ruck about 20m from our line and scored their try. 36 - 7 as their centre added the extras. Oy Vey.

Even allowing for the possibility that Young Munster briefly took their foot off the pedal, in the last quarter, we showed some mettle. We worked our way back into their half and in a pretty classic demonstration of composure and control, we ran a number of short balls, tying in their defence, before throwing a long ball out to winger Cillian Redmond who went over easily, bringing the ball in 15 meters from the touchline to help Steve with the conversion. To quote Van Morrison, "Wouldn't it be nice if it was like this all the time?" 36 - 14 as we approached the last 10 minutes. Next it was fresh-legged midfield sub, Rory Parata to inject some much-needed urgency and aggression into our game and he finished off another tightly run series of plays for our third try inside the last five minutes. 36 - 21. Could it be?

But as we finally upped our attacking game, the hosts showed their determination in defence too and so, at the end of the best passage of play for both sides, the score remained unchanged and Lansdowne went home empty handed.

No tricks, no treats.

Match Report - Brian Whelan

Match photos can be viewed here!