MUNSTER COACH GRAHAM Rowntree has highlighted the importance of fitness and character ahead of the clash against the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship final in Cape Town.
Munster announced their team on Friday afternoon, with Springbok lock RG Snyman included among the replacements. When coach Graham Rowntree was asked to explain his selections, and indeed the team’s mindset ahead of the grand final, he highlighted the enormity of the challenge facing the visiting team.
“I feel like Tadhg Beirne deserved that starting spot [in the second row],” Rowntree said. “As far as RG is concerned, we feel that he can make an impact from the bench… or the Bomb Squad if your will.”
The Boks dubbed their explosive bench ‘the Bomb Squad’ during their 2019 World Cup campaign. Snyman played a key role for the Bok reserves during that tournament in Japan, and was particularly influential in the final against England – which South Africa won 32-12 thanks to a superb second-half performance.
Clearly Rowntree is expecting Snyman and the Munster bench to have a similar impact in this weekend’s decider in Cape Town.
Munster certainly made a statement when they beat John Dobson’s side in Cape Town last month. After edging Leinster in an epic semi-final, they earned their spot in the grand final .
“We deserve to be here,” Rowntree said. “We’ve been to some tough places over the course of the season. We haven’t been perfect, but that spirit that defines this club has kept us going.
“We’re going to need that against this Stormers side. Fitness will be important, and we will need to keep fighting.”
Captain Peter O’Mahony insisted that qualifying for the final was not enough. The Ireland flanker wants his charges to go out and finish the job on Saturday.
“That [win against Leinster] can’t be our final,” he said. “It’s hugely important that we take the next step.
“We can’t be happy with that performance. We’ve done what we can to address a few things in our game over the last couple of weeks, and hopefully we will get it right tomorrow..
“It’s about the performance more than anything. We will need our best performance tomorrow to beat this Stormers side.”
Munster team vs Stormers
- 15. Mike Haley
- 14. Calvin Nash
- 13. Antoine Frisch
- 12. Malakai Fekitoa
- 11. Shane Daly
- 10. Jack Crowley
- 9. Conor Murray
- 1. Jeremy Loughman
- 2. Diarmuid Barron
- 3. Stephen Archer
- 4. Jean Kleyn
- 5. Tadhg Beirne
- 6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
- 7. John Hodnett
- 8. Gavin Coombes
Replacements:
- 16. Niall Scannell
- 17. Josh Wycherley
- 18. Roman Salanoa
- 19. RG Snyman
- 20. Alex Kendellen
- 21. Craig Casey
- 22. Ben Healy
- 23. Keith Earls