MUNSTER’S last minute bonus point win over Edinburgh last weekend was a mixed bag of rugby. For 49 minutes Munster looked clueless and one dimensional. Eventually, the new game plan worked and Munster took one more step on a very long road. Having lost their previous three, Munster head coach Rob Penney knew that his game plan and his player’s belief in said plan, would be and will still be tested.
“I’ve explained to the lads when you are going through anything new as an athlete, you end up in a dark place. They call that dark place the ‘pit’. You end up in the pit for a while and it’s very frustrating. It’s a horrible place to be because it is so easy to go back and rely on what you used to be familiar with. But when you pop out of it, the sun’s a lot brighter and you can actually far exceed anything you were able to do previously. So we’re just on the bottom of that pit I think, still trying to work our way out. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel and given another few months of this understanding, of us working together and having faith in each other, we’ll be a better side and we’ll continue to be a better side.”
Munster’s next Heineken Cup clash is not until December 8. Between now and then, Penney’s side have four RaboDirect Pro12 games and of course, the Irish internationals face the Autumn International series.
This Friday 26 night Munster face Zebre at Thomond Park. This will be the last league game that the Irish international stars will be available. A bonus point win is a must. Munster are currently in fifth spot, seven points behind Ulster who already have a game in hand. Home games against the Italian sides are 5 pointers if the application is right and considering Munster are still a work in progress, this weekend is yet another big test for the Reds.
