Player of the Match Tadhg Beirne cut a bitterly disappointed figure at the end of Munster's draw with Bayonne at Thomond Park this evening, in what was their opening game of the 2023/2024 Champions Cup.
Despite being heavy favourites, and scoring two tries in the opening 20 minutes, Munster failed to kick on and shake off the scrum loving Bayonne side.
Munster's Second-Half Woes Continue
The score was 14-3 at half-time, but it was the French visitors who came out of the blocks the quickest with a try from Junior Tagi to make it 14-10.
Munster made it a seven point gap thanks to a Jack Crowley penalty, but Bayonne's dominance was rewarded with a try from Rémy Baget, who went over just inches from the left hand touchline.
Up stepped Thomas Dolhagaray to nail the highly difficult conversion, and level up proceedings.
Munster then spent the last few minutes terrorising the Bayonne 22, and looked primed for a classic Thomond Park, European night finish, but it was not to be as Jack Crowley pushed his drop goal attempt wide and right.
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A try on his Champions Cup debut for Shay McCarthy as Munster hit the front against Bayonne
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Half-time: Munster 14-3 Bayonne
Gavin Coombes' drive over the line has the Irish province 11 points clear at the break
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A Rémy Baget for Bayonne try followed by a conversion and it finishes 17-17 at Thomond Park
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Bernard Jackman highlighted a concerning 'power deficiency' as Munster's issue as Bayonne snatch a draw in Thomond Park
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Munster were playing a rotated side, but their pack did still feature most of their front-line players.
None the less, they struggled with the size and power of Bayonne, in contact, at the maul, and at scrum time.
After the game, Bernard Jackman spoke about their 'power deficiency', and how Graham Rowntree will need to solve this issue in the coming months.
"Munster looked to have a big power deficiency", Jackman said on RTE.
"I know they're missing players, but there's still a lot of that team that you would say will play first choice or would be there of there abouts in a European game.
"So that's the worry for Graham Rowntree. He'd say, 'look, it's not a problem, you know, we made some errors,' but there's a big power deficiency, and I think across 1 to 15, they look bigger, stronger, more powerful than, than Munster.
"So there is some great players injured, but that worry for them in the URC, that power deficit isn't really relevant, but against a big French team, or they aren't a big French team, they're the lowest ranking French team. So it is a concern for Munster.
"As I said, it's nearly harder not to qualify out of this competition than qualify. So I wouldn't say it's going to be detrimental to that, but it's certainly a warning shot for them that they have to try and assess and get better at it."
Munster are away to Exeter next Sunday (kick-off, 1pm).
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