Dean Ryan, the Gloucester head coach, said after a disappointingly one-sided quarter-final that his young side would not be deflected from its lofty ambition. The Premiership leaders now have the league to focus on but in the 10 months since they were outmuscled by Leicester in the play-off final the Cherry and Whites, for all their attacking intent and movement, retain an air of fallibility.
Much was made of the two penalties missed by Chris Paterson in the opening nine minutes but tries are Gloucester's currency. The wing had kicked 33 successive goals for Scotland from the start of the World Cup to the end of the Six Nations and he found himself lining up a kick in front of the posts in the first minute on Saturday after Lifeimi Mafi had taken out Olly Morgan off the ball. But Paterson pulled the kick wide, an error he repeated eight minutes later.
He missed three penalties in all but, as Ryan said before the game, he wants his side to be able to win a European quarter-final by scoring tries, rather than converting a late penalty. It was the opposite of what England were about in the World Cup and the outcome was also contrasting. While Paterson's squandered nine points may have made a difference, it would have been only to the scoreline, not to the result. Gloucester never came to terms with Munster's defence: the centres Mafi and Rua Tipoki defended the gainline with the resolve of bouncers standing on a nightclub's threshold and the wing Ian Dowling quickly rushed into the line to ensure that, if Gloucester thwarted the blitz with a long pass, he was in a position to intercept.
Only once did Gloucester threaten to cut through. Their centre James Simpson-Daniel broke down the left and for an instant it looked as if he had only to pass to Lesley Vainikolo outside him for his side's opening try but no sooner had the danger presented itself than Doug Howlett got in front of the England wing and the moment went.
Munster were one step ahead throughout. Just as Gloucester never came to terms with Munster's defence, they failed to overcome problems at the breakdown. The visitors' two tries had their origins in defence. First Alan Quinlan, not for the first or last time, spooked Rory Lawson at a breakdown and Howlett sparked a counter-attack from his own 22 which ended when, after Vainikolo had failed to gather a bouncing ball, Howlett sent in Dowling at the right-hand corner.
The try gave Munster an 8-0 interval lead and they sealed the game 16 minutes from the end when Will James lost the ball in midfield and Howlett fed the full-back Denis Hurley, whose kick to the line fell perfectly for the New Zealand wing. "I am not going to deviate from what I believe is right," said Ryan. "I want a game based on movement and pace and we have young players who are growing together. It will come: we are not a million miles away."
The fly-half Ryan Lamb echoed his coach when he said: "We believe in the rugby we are playing and we have put sides away in the last couple of seasons. We have some young backs but we cannot go on saying we have to learn from experiences like this. Sooner, rather than later, we have to perform."
Gloucester have lost eight of their 12 matches in all competitions in 2008, having gone into the new year on a run of eight successive victories. They meet Saracens, Heineken Cup semi-finalists, in the league on Saturday and their prospects of returning to Twickenham would appear to hinge on securing a home draw in the play-off semi-final. Munster return to Coventry for the semi-final, where they lost to Wasps in the opening round of the pool stage, and it will take more than resolute defence by Saracens to stop them.
Gloucester Morgan; Paterson (Walker, 57), Simpson-Daniel, Allen (Tindall, 40), Vainikolo; Lamb, Lawson (Cooper, 68); Wood (Dickinson, 68), Titterrell (Paul, 80), Nieto, Bortolami (capt; James, 55), Brown, Buxton (Delve, 50), Hazell, Narraway.
Pen Lamb.
Sin-bin Nieto, 14.
Munster Hurley; Howlett, Tipoki, Mafi, Dowling; O'Gara, O'Leary; Buckley (Pucciarello, 33; Buckley, 70), Flannery, Hayes, O'Callaghan, O'Connell (capt), Quinlan, Wallace (O'Driscoll, 80), Leamy (Foley, 76).
Tries Dowling, Howlett. Pens O'Gara 2.
Referee N Owens (Wales). Attendance 16,500.
