Just having a look back through the game. Four real acts of thuggery gone unpunished or half-punished. Munster let this game behind them off the tee, no question, but Barnes and his team were complicit in one of the dirtiest performances I've seen at this level for some time.
Fuck the result. We lost, whatever, we'll get over it. Castres came out to play dirty, fine. How they were let away gouging, no arms shots, dirty nonsense off the ball and a sliding tackle into the balls to prevent Conway from scoring I'll never know.
I wonder could Barnesy tell me what "piss weak officiating" is in French? As I've stated, Munster lost this game because they missed 12 points off the tee. No arguments there.
But let's have a look at what Barnesy and his buddies - that's "copains" in French - missed, shall we?
But let's have a look at what Barnesy and his buddies - that's "copains" in French - missed, shall we?
You know you're in for a long day when this nonsense (followed up by a kick) happens right infront of the AR.
How this was missed, I'll never know. Cloete was tangling for a ball in the build up to the Castres try. Kockott reaches out, away from the ball, and rakes his fingers over Cloete's eye
The AR (same one as before) is right there looking at it because the ball is less than a foot away. It's clearly visible on the broadcast and Cloete complains directly to the AR to no effect. You can see Kockott feel out for Cloete's head to get a good rake.
Now, Conway's non-try.
Why did he knock the ball on? Maybe it had something to do with the sliding tackle Vinny Jones might have been proud of from Urdipilleta. Cool that they're legal now.
Why did he knock the ball on? Maybe it had something to do with the sliding tackle Vinny Jones might have been proud of from Urdipilleta. Cool that they're legal now.
I mean, just look at this barely 5m away from the tryline
And then a shoulder shot long after the play has stopped for good measure.
A few seconds earlier, O'Mahony had been taken out by a no arms tackle with a flip that saw him land on his shoulders.
Initial point of contact with the ground is the shoulders. O'Mahony's back flattens out after impact. Wouldn't have mattered at that point (yellow or red) given the time but it's one of many soft, weak decisions by Barnes and his team. 
