Smarting Munster Rugby switch focus for crucial Champions Cup clash with Toulon

SMARTING Munster Rugby switch their focus to the Investec Champions Cup and a trip to France to face RC Toulon next weekend following their disappointing URC defeat to Ulster at the Affidea Stadium in Belfast on Friday night.

Munster's third outing in this season takes place at the Stade Felix Mayol this Sunday, 1pm Irish time. 

A lacklustre second half display saw Munster succumb meekly 28-3 to Irish provincial rivals Ulster in the URC at a snowy match venue in Belfast. It was Munster's third defeat in their last four URC fixtures.

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Munster have dropped to sixth place in the URC table, one spot behind Leinster, as a result of their defeat to Ulster on Friday night.

Worryingly for their backroom team, Munster have managed to score a total of just 11 points in their last two competitive fixtures.

Following Friday night's defeat Munster head coach Clayton McMillan admitted that their performance was nowhere need what the side strives to produce.

“We came up against a good side and we really produced nothing in the second half for us to get excited about so there is no sugar coating over anything really, we just never got our game going, we were never allowed to get our game going,” McMillan told Premier Sports 1.

“You have to give credit where it is due and that is to a good Ulster side.”

McMillan insisted that the 10 changes in personnel, a number of which were enforced, Munster made from the side which lost narrowly to Leinster in the URC six days earlier had not contributed to their poor showing in Belfast.

“No, no. It just wasn't good enough, nowhere near the standard that we want to set. It was an opportunity for a number of people to put themselves in the jersey in the coming weeks and really just walk away with more questions than answers, so not a great day at the office, but as coaches we own it first and foremost.

“We have been a little clunky in our performances, haven't quite hit our stride. We have tried a few different things obviously haven't struck the right chord just yet, so it starts with us. We will go away, reflect on what we can do better. We have an 8-9 day turnaround now, so we really need to leverage off that to try and find the solutions.”

Asked where he would be targetting in next weekend's big Champions Cup clash with Toulon, McMillan said: “Right across the board. You go to a quality outfit like that, a performance anywhere near what you saw tonight wouldn't be pretty, so look, there is lots to fix up. We have plenty of quality in our team and we will bounce back but it hurts, it hurts to lose in that manner and not really fire a shot.”

Munster have had mixed results in their two Investec Champions Cup group games to date, following their heavy 40-14 defeat to Johann van Graan's Bath side at The Rec with a vital 31-3 bonus point win over Gloucester at Páirc Uí Chaoimh last time out.