'They will leave, a massive legacy behind': Costello 'devastated' but full of praise for departing heroes

Irish Examiner

3 days ago

Rugby can be a cruel game, but seldom could it be crueller for a team than losing in a penalty shootout. Unfortunately, that was the lot that befell Munster in their United Rugby Championship quarter-final against the Sharks at Kings Park.
Munster did everything but win in 100 minutes of rugby that was far from perfect at times, but it was always absorbing. The Sharks too, did everything but win in normal time.
Yet, in the end, there had to be a loser after the match finished 24-24 after extra time.
Rory Scannell's scuffed penalty from the right-hand side of the uprights in the shootout proved the difference in the shootout. The inexperienced Sharks utility back Bradley Davids landed the winning kick from 40-metres on the left 15-metre line.
If it was cruel for Munster and crueller still for Scannell, on the occasion of his 200th cap. And it was perhaps cruellest for Conor Murray and Peter O'Mahony, who played their final games for the club.
Conor Murray of Munster leaves the field. Pic: Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart
Losing is part of rugby. But losing in that fashion is something rare and, in many ways, unfair. For those two stalwarts, as well as Stephen Archer and other absent warriors, to bow out in that way, felt wrong.
Murray landed a 45-metre penalty 90 seconds from the end of normal time to take the contest to extra time.
'On a night like this, it's a pity there had to be a loser,' Sharks coach John Plumtree said after the match.
He was not wrong, but the show has to go on, and the teams had to be separated in some way.
The Sharks now travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls in next week's semi-final at Loftus Versfeld. Leinster will host defending champions Glasgow at the Aviva. For the fourth year in a row, South Africa will have a URC finalist.
While the tournament must proceed, Munster interim coach Ian Costello took a little time to acknowledge Murray, O'Mahony and Archer.
'Those three are exceptional people and legends of Munster rugby,' Costello said.
'And they've left, or they will leave, a massive legacy behind. That's going to be very difficult for us to live up to and fill, but that's what you want.
'You want somebody to leave it in a better place. And they've left the jersey in an unbelievably good place. Now it's for everyone else in the dressing room, moving on to next year, to live up to that.
'There's also our team manager, Niall O'Donovan, who's an even longer servant of Munster rugby. It was his last game as well. The last few weeks have been pretty special in terms of making sure those boys got a good send-off, which is why tonight was particularly disappointing.'
In terms of the game, which saw each side score three tries on the night, Costello only had praise for his team, especially as the Sharks scrum dominated.
After a good start and holding the upper hand at halftime, only belligerent Munster defence kept the 2023 champions in the contest.
The men in red stayed in the game thanks to their defence, as their scrum was dismantled by a Sharks team whose replacement front rowers Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu and Hanro Jacobs picked up where their illustrious Bok starters – Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch had left off.
It was one tough night for the Munster pack, and they never stopped scrapping.
'I'm devastated and gutted for the team, for what they invested into that,' Costello said.
'The Sharks had an exceptional set piece, but we didn't take a step back all day and when they went ahead, we came back.
'It's all a blur, but I'm unbelievably proud of them and it's heartbreaking to lose a game like that.
'In terms of processing it, I'm devastated for the boys for how much they put into it and for how much they've invested into this in the build-up and on the field.
'It was exceptional and I'm proud of the fight, the character and the quality that they showed tonight. Games like that at this level, playing away from home, come down to moments. And we just came out slightly on the wrong end of moments. Simple as that.
'It was a proud performance, but it wasn't proud just because of effort and fight.
'That was exceptional, but the quality was there too. The coaches put together a good game plan, and the players implemented it. We were 100% with our line-out tonight, and we scored some good tries.
'So, it came down to moments. Sometimes you talk about proud defeats, and I just want to be really clear. I'm very, very proud of the boys, but it's not one of those glorious defeats.
'I think there was a huge amount of quality there, and we came out on the wrong side of one or two key moments. Obviously, a team that kicked six penalties out of six in the penalty shootout is hard to beat. Someone's going to miss one.'
For Scannell, who missed his first kick in the shootout from the right 15-metre line on the 22, it must have been gutting. He showed great character to land his next one from the same angle, but 40-metres back.
'It was Rory's 200th cap today. Sport can be cruel for everybody, but I'd rather focus on the second kick,' Costello said.
'Anybody who's kicked a post knows that if you miss one, what the second one can feel like. And you multiply that by 10, 15 for a situation like that. I just couldn't be prouder of the character he showed to nail that second one to keep us in it.'