
Football
Share
Published 17:37 20 Apr 2019 BST
Updated 17:53 20 Apr 2019 BST
Explore more on these topics:
Courtest: ESPNscrum[/caption]
58% possession. 64% territory. Four times as many clean breaks. Nearly twice as many defenders beaten. Winning all their mauls and 97.8% of their rucks while conceding just eight turnovers.
And then to top it all off, a 91% tackle rate in defence.
When teams show that sort of dominance it really is hard to make a case for Munster, and while Sweetnam scored in the absence of Earls, the loss of both Carbery and the Ireland winger really put the visitors behind the eight ball.
As to where Munster go from here it's hard to tell. They'll contend for the PRO14 title as far as this season goes but with regards to Europe this was the season that might have been their best shot out of the many they've had since 2008.
They drew with Exeter away, they smashed Gloucester away, they eked out a win they probably shouldn't have won against a tough and grimy Edinburgh team in the quarter-finals.
They lost Simon Zebo to Racing last summer but they did add the top points scorer of the Pool stage in Carbery and one of Europe's best players in Tadhg Beirne. Both men are seen as significant upgrades on what was there previously, and they'll be back again next season, but Munster's afternoon in Coventry really summed up one of sport's oldest adages; sometimes the best ability is availability.
Here's hoping for a speedy recovery because they have the bones of a team that can compete at this level. They just need that bit of spark in attack.Live sport on TV in Ireland this weekend – Football, GAA, Rugby – April 24th to 26th
Some huge clashes! The ultimate TV guide for live weekend sport in Ireland is back! It’s another huge week in the Premier League with Arsenal hosting Newcastle, there are a host of massive inter-county championship matches in both hurling and Gaelic football, and there is an intriguing Irish derby in the URC to look forward […]
Football
13h
Huge changes in store as Lions launch bid to tour new countries
This could be massive! The Lions could soon be adding a new country to their list of touring destinations, according to an exclusive report from The Telegraph. The iconic representative team – which combines the best players from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales – currently tour South Africa, Australia and New Zealand on a rotating […]
Football
18h
Football
Munster statement defends new coach over historical rape accusations
Football