In fairness to the big Munster prop, he had put in one hell of a shift up to that point.
Munster, like most sides in Europe in the past 18 months, must be sick of coming up against Leinster. Several of their key players had superb games and Leinster only purred in patches but they still lost by eight points and head back to Limerick empty-handed.
After going behind 14-0 and 27-12, Munster twice rallied to put themselves within a converted try of snatching victory.
Joey Carbery’s decision to kick for the posts, on 68 minutes, looked risky – putting Munster 12 points behind – but it paid off five minutes later when the lively Alby Mathewson darted over for a converted score. Game on, or so we thought.
In the lead-up to that Mathewson try, Munster were screaming out for a penalty try and a yellow card against Leinster. The Munster scrum was dominating and the hosts were clinging on for dear life. Referee Ben Whitehouse set and re-set the scrum as Munster opted to push home their advantage when penalties were rewarded.
Archer was still out on the pitch and was hosing it into Cian Healy after battling with Jack McGrath for the first 40. He was crucial in Munster putting their boot on Leinster’s throats and forcing the pressure that led to Mathewson’s score.
And then, from the re-start with his team just five behind, he threw subtlety out the window and blocked a Leinster runner from getting to the ball. Penalty Leinster and Ross Byrne knocked it over to make it 30-22.
That was the final nail for the southern province and they left Dublin without even a losing bonus point to show for their efforts. Following the game, Munster captain Peter O’Mahony showed commendable leadership in standing up for the tighthead. He said:
“Yeah, look, it’s not ideal but the same player was after coming off the back of a penalty try after five or six scrums. These things happen, you know, in the white-hot of a game.
“These are mistakes that I certainly won’t be commenting on or giving out about as I’ve been on the wrong end of them a few times myself. They’re decisions you make in games [and] that happens. With that intensity there, those things happen.”
Munster head coach Johann van Graan also addressed Archer’s late blip in sn otherwise decent shift.
“The two teams went at each other for 80 minutes and unfortunately certain calls went against our team,” said the South African.
“That being said, with five minutes to go we conceded another penalty that took the game away from us; made it eight points and impossible for us to get back into the game.”
