THIS WAS NOT part of the plan. Three defeats from four games, a failure to get a bonus point win over Zebre, a conversation about whether Munster will turn things around quickly enough to qualify for next year’s Champions Cup.
For Graham Rowntree, for Munster, things need to start clicking soon. Already a gap is opening between themselves and Leinster – 13 points separating the team leading the URC and their neighbours in 12th – and the fixture list isn’t getting kinder.
Next is the Bulls, last year’s beaten finalists. After that is Leinster, Europe’s second best team last season. Then Ulster, who comprehensively outplayed Munster the last time these sides met in the URC quarter-final last season.
If Munster were fully firing, you’d predict two wins out of three. After Friday’s 20-11 defeat to Connacht, expectations are being re-evaluated to the degree that the prospect of Rowntree’s side reaching the half-way mark of this URC campaign with just two wins out of eight is not as outrageous as it sounds.
Still, there is no sense of panic from inside the Munster coaching box.
“It’s tough,” said Rowntree. “That’s coaching. It’s fixing things, finding solutions, moving forward; fixing them, working to the next game.
“I’ve been around long enough. Obviously it’s a different context being the head coach but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.
“We’ve changed how we’re doing things. We’ve not reinvented the wheel but we’ve changed things and I can see the changes, the improvements coming through. But we just have to eradicate errors, eradicate penalties, improve our discipline.
“It’s my job to do that, and the coaches, and to manage those young coaches, it’s my job. We’ll keep doing that, that’s all we can physically do, day in, day out.”
Years ago, these results would be placed in a different context, when qualification for Europe was considerably easier. However, the entry point to the Champions Cup is now much more demanding.
Theoretically eight places are available. But in reality, from the perspective of Ireland’s provinces, it’s only six, as one spot is guaranteed to go to a Scottish/Italian side and another to a Welsh team. That means Munster need to stop conceding penalties – 52 coughed up so far – and start converting chances.
With just 62 points scored from four games – the second lowest tally in the league – they are struggling to transition from the South African influence of their previous coaching regime to their new era.
“Expectations, I don’t know, I’ve had none put on me as such. I want to win the next game. I want to improve every week; I want to win the next game, that’s what I’ll keep driving,” said Rowntree.
“We are spoiled as players and coaches to have such great support as we do with the Munster fans. I’m sure they’ll be right behind us at Thomond which is now a huge game.
“It’s always going to be a huge game, particularly against the Bulls. We know what’s coming from the Bulls so we drive on. We’ll look at this game Monday, fix things, drive training, see what selection brings. We’ve got some guys coming back from South Africa and we’ll look forward to the next game.”
Peter O’Mahony is a doubt for that Bulls game. “He came off with a neck/shoulder injury but he’s tough as teak is Pete and we’ll see how he pulls up.”
- Originally published at 06.59
