Munster Got the Process Right

Frankie Sheahan perhaps put it right when he claimed Munster “got the process right” before, during and after their handsome 35-14 defeat of Gloucester.

Frankie Sheahan perhaps put it right when he claimed Munster “got the process right” before, during and after their handsome 35-14 defeat of Gloucester. The win took the Munster to the top of Pool 5 on try count as they ran in four touchdowns and claimed a bonus point. “It’s an absolutely fantastic win for us,” claimed the 27-year-old hooker. “It’s a massive competition and I think after last week’s loss in Gloucester (22-11), we just did the simple things right today. “A lot of us were uptight during the week and we felt we didn’t perform to our ability last Saturday. We got the process right this time, the set-piece right and the backs and forwards both played superbly.” Gloucester director of rugby Nigel Melville was unstinting in his praise for Munster’s performance but also not too disheartened by his own side’s efforts. He singled out the yellow cards for hooker Chris Fortey and centre Henry Paul as significant moments. “You have to hand it to Munster, it was a great performance by a great side, they really put us away, especially in the first half,” he said. “We simply couldn’t get the ball at stages and played for too long with 14 men. Little, basic things went wrong for us, and we can’t play without our set-piece. “I’m disappointed obviously but we’re still in the competition. We’ll get back down and do the work before going to Bourgoin next weekend.” Munster coach Alan Gaffney, appointed to his current position in April 2002, hailed it as simply “the best performance I’ve seen while I’ve been at Munster”. The former New South Wales and Leinster assistant admitted his charges were “short on preparation” at Kingsholm last week, following the Christmas break. “You have to give full credit to the boys tonight,” he stated. “We had a game plan and stuck to it. We’re top of the pool, but the job is nowhere near done yet. We’ve a tough game in Treviso next Saturday and they gave Gloucester a good game there last month.”