Winners and Losers: Gloucester vs Munster

Munster maintained in control of Pool 2 following a magnificent Champions Cup display that saw them rack up a 41-15 win over Gloucester at a chilly Kingsholm.

We take a look at the winners and losers from the game with a particular focus on the Six Nations - which is just three weeks away.

Danny Cipriani - Loser

What should have been a welcomed return to the Gloucester starting line up following an injury layoff, Cipriani had the perfect opportunity to force his way into the England Six Nations squad. However, the 31-year-old was given little ball to work with and was outclassed by Joey Carbery. Cirpriani did throw a nice pass out to Ollie Thorley to score but that try came after 35 phases showing just how brilliant Munster were on defence. 

Tadhg Beirne - Winner

Beirne was a winner last week and is a winner this week once again. The 27-year-old was brilliant from the first minute and worked exceptionally well with Peter O'Mahony to disrupt Gloucester's attack with every opportunity they were presented. He weighed in with 15 tackles, 7 carries and 2 clean turnovers. With Iain Henderson missing the Six Nations through injury, Beirne is almost certain to feature on the bench for Ireland but his continued brilliance for Munster could earn him place in the starting line up against England. 

Ben Morgan - Loser

A game that Morgan could have used to show that he can compete against an extremely powerful pack and push for a place in the test side. However, he gained just 4 metres from his 15 carries and threw the pass that was intercepted by Joey Carbery that ultimately ended Gloucester's slim chances of forming a comeback.

Mike Haley - Winner

Haley, like Will Addison, left Sale Sharks to chase a potential test call up to the Ireland squad at the end of last season. Addison has since gone on to make his test debut while Haley still awaits his call up. The Munster fullback was absolutely brilliant in the win over Gloucester and put in a performance that will certainly have Joe Schmidt thinking whether he could fit the 24-year-old in his team. Haley still has time on his side but a solid performance like that on a big Champions Cup night has certainly done his reputation no harm.

Joey Carbery - Winner

An absolutely fantastic performance by the Munster out-half who has thrived in the starting line up for Munster this season. He was flawless from the tee and was the mastermind behind a stellar Champions Cup victory for Munster.  

🔴🔴 @JoeyCarbery vs. Gloucester

0️⃣2️⃣ Clean Breaks
0️⃣2️⃣ Try Assists
0️⃣2️⃣ Defenders Beaten
0️⃣2️⃣ Tries
8️⃣0️⃣ Metres Gained
2️⃣6️⃣ Points

🔴💯 Kick Success

👏🏻👏🏻 Man of the Match pic.twitter.com/tPi7VxcP9i

— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) January 11, 2019

Carbery is another Irish International that is almost certain to feature in the matchday 23 against England, however, his fine form of late could see him get more minutes and perhaps even a start in a big Six Nations clash this year.

The 23-year-old's last big test start was against Australia in June and it's likely that Joe Schmidt would like to test the youngster in a big test before they head off to Japan.