Munster player ratings v Toulon: Discipline proves ‘costly’ amid ‘heroic’ efforts
Investec Champions Cup Round 3, Stade Felix Mayol, Toulon, France 11/1/2026 .RC Toulon vs Munster .Munster's Jack O'Donoghue celebrates scoring his sides second try of the match despite RC Toulon's Marius Domon .Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Following Munster’s 27-25 defeat to Toulouse in round three of the Investec Champions Cup, here is how we scored Clayton McMillan’s men.
Munster player ratings v Toulon
15 Shane Daly: Only afforded limited time on the ball, but impressed with what came his way with 44 metres from just five carries. 5
14 Calvin Nash: Not a game for wingers, with the forward packs dominating proceedings, but he did really well with what he was given and grabbed a nice try for his efforts. 6
13 Tom Farrell: A proper classy performance, which was needed considering he was opposite Juan Ignacio Brex. On both sides of the ball, Farrell led the way for his side, but his attacking exploits in particular helped lay a platform for his side’s strong efforts. He also deservedly got himself on the scoresheet. 8
12 Alex Nankivell: His yellow card blotted the copt book, unfortunately, but aside from that, he had a decent crack today in a busy midfield channel. Carried well when called upon, admittedly not as much as his centre partner, and contributed to the heroic defensive efforts too. 6
11 Ben O’Connor: Was starved of any meaningful time on the ball in attack, which kept him out of the spotlight, but he made his tackles when needed. 5
10 Jack Crowley: When he plays well, Munster tend to play well, and he had a decent go of it today. Got his side playing some lovely attack at times, particularly in the build-up to Nash’s score, and pleasingly put his body on the line in defence with an impressive 16 tackles for 100% completion. Kicked pretty well off the tee, too, knocking over four of his five efforts. 7
9 Craig Casey: Like his half-back colleague, really grew into the game to coincide with Munster’s resurgence as well. His desire to play at pace helped his side unlock the stubborn Toulon defence in those latter stages, directly resulting in two tries as well. Was taken off with an injury, though, which will leave Ireland boss Andy Farrell sweating ahead of the Six Nations. 7
Back-row
8 Gavin Coombes: Potentially went under the radar, but it was a very steady effort from the number eight. Played a key role in his side’s defensive efforts and got stuck into the breakdown. 6
7 Jack O’Donoghue: Really led from the front today with a heroic effort. Topped the tackle stats across the game with an eye-watering 20 tackles, and backed that up with some lovely work in the breakdown too. His try was just reward for a good shift. 8
6 Tadhg Beirne (c): His sin-binning proved costly as Toulon nabbed their first score, but overall, he was pretty solid across the park. As you would expect, did a lot of the unseen work that helped get his team back into the game. 6
Tight five
5 Fineen Wycherley: His stock continues to rise, with this another fine effort. He was always in the thick of the action, throwing his body around with no real regard for his own safety in defence, notching 19 tackles along the way, and looked to get involved in the carry too. 7
4 Edwin Edogbo: Continues to add some proper ballast to this Munster pack, on both sides of the ball. Made waves ball-in-hand in the tight, crossing the gain line with three of his four carries, and backed that up with some big defensive efforts too. 6
3 Michael Ala’alatoa: Did exactly what was required of him today. Improved in the scrum as the game went on, after initially coming under pressure, he made his tackles and looked to get his hands on the ball. 6
2 Diarmuid Barron: The lineout didn’t quite fire as well as he would have liked, and while Toulon certainly put them under pressure in that department, that will take the focus. 5
1 Jeremy Loughman: Will be pleased with his day’s work, particularly around the field. Really made himself a key part of their defensive efforts, notching 12 tackles during his 54-minute shift, and also held his own in the scrum. 7
Replacements: The bench came on at a time when the game was in the balance, but they can certainly feel they did a good job. As a unit, they just injected a fresh impetus into the Munster side, playing a key role in their fightback late in the day. Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Michael Milne and Ruadhan Quinn got stuck into the battle up front very well upon their arrival, while centre Dan Kelly also continued his good run of form with a really nice cameo. 7
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