Investec Champions Cup: Munster will 'really kick themselves' after Northampton Saints loss, says Alan Quinlan
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByOli Gent
Published 20/01/2024 at 22:51 GMT
TNT Sports expert Alan Quinlan has said that Munster “will really kick themselves” after the Irish side let a lead slip in their Investec Champions Cup defeat to Northampton Saints. The home side were up 15-7 and a man to the good at half-time in Limerick, but found themselves defeated 26-23 by a Courtney Lawes-fuelled Northampton, who maintain their 100% record in continental rugby this season.
Limerick , Ireland - 20 January 2024; A dejected Alex Kendellen of Munster at the final whistle of during the Investec Champions Cup Pool 3 Round 4 match between Munster and Northampton Saints at Thomond Park in Limerick.
Image credit: Getty Images
TNT Sports' Alan Quinlan said that Munster “will really kick themselves” after letting a half-time lead slip in their Investec Champions Cup defeat to Northampton Saints.
Munster led 15-7 at the break and also failed to benefit from the visitors being reduced to 14 men, with Curtis Langdon seeing red for a knee to the head.
The result will not affect Graham Rowntree’s side’s qualification from Pool 3, with their losing bonus point seeing them into the next round, while Saints’ victory helps maintain their 100 per cent record on the continent this term.
Quinlan, who played 212 games for Munster, said his former side were "really sloppy at times", while the former Irish international was keen to praise the performance from Northampton.
“[They showed] great character, great resilience,” Quinlan said after the match.
“They deserved to win that game. Munster were really sloppy at times in that second half, sat back on their heels a little bit, and it sometimes happens when you go down a man.
“Munster will really kick themselves. They didn’t manage the conditions in the second half; they gave too many penalties away, and on the flip side of that, Alex Mitchell was brilliant, Fin Smith was brilliant. They controlled the tempo, took their opportunities - a drop goal from Smith was phenomenal - and a couple of penalties as well.”
Courtney Lawes, who stepped away from international duty after the World Cup and is not in England’s Six Nations squad, was “immense”, according to Quinlan, having played a crucial part in the build-up to the Northampton try that turned the tide.
“They get the [decisive] try off the back of Munster trying to exit,” Quinlan explained.
“Courtney Lawes was absolutely immense; a brilliant turnover for that penalty to go into the corner which led to the try. It wins the game for them.
"You can see what it meant to them at the end, and they had that steel and resilience and a real strength of character.
“It’s not a surprise because they’ve shown it, they’ve been building on that and you can see the reaction from the coaches and all the players. They were fantastic, Northampton, fully deserving of that victory.”
On the Langdon red card, Quinlan felt some sympathy for the hooker, but felt that the knee - a second in the space of merely a second - was “reckless”.
“The first [knee] was obviously accidental, but the second, I don’t think there’s intention there," Quinlan said.
“The referee said that you can’t see it was intentional, but it was reckless. I think it is reckless, when you make that kind of contact and the player is there, it shouldn’t really be the case.
“It is reckless, really, and when you put it in slow motion, I don’t think he’s intentionally trying to knee the player in the face. It cost them. Both sides were playing like there was desperation there.”
Saints host Newcastle in the Gallagher Premiership on Saturday, January 27, live on TNT Sports.
- - -
TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
Scan me
Share this article