PRIOR TO MUNSTER coming to South Africa on URC tour, head coach Graham Rowntree would likely have taken a win and draw against the Stormers and the Sharks.
It certainly was a good fortnight’s shift and no wonder Rowntree was beaming after his team had pulled off a great escape in Durban. They came back from the dead to draw 22-22 after a limp first half.
“At half-time, we were 19-3 down and spoke about our composure and our discipline,” Rountree said. “It quickly became 22-3 in the second half but we did not lose our heads. We stuck to our game plan and slowly but surely it turned around.
“To be honest, I am a bit miffed we didn’t sneak a win at the end,” he continued. “We seemed to be over the line but didn’t get the decision. Still, from where we were at half time, that was a major improvement to draw the game.
“The bench was very good. They were powerful last week in Cape Town and they repeated their impact tonight.
“I’m immensely proud of the lads. We’ve shown on this tour that when we keep the ball and don’t force things, we can move teams around and seriously challenge them. I’m really proud of how we hung in the game tonight. Our scrum shored itself up after being under pressure and our maul became very effective towards the end of the game.”
Meanwhile, the eight teams who will compete in the URC play-offs have confirmed their places in the quarter-finals as the race to become the 2022/23 champions kick into gear.
The top-four ranked sides, Leinster (1), Ulster (2), Stormers (3) and Glasgow Warriors (4) have all earned the right to host home quarter-finals on the weekend of 5/6 May.
Their opponents are the teams ranked from fifth position to eighth – Munster, Bulls, Connacht, Sharks.
Quarter-finals:
QF1: Leinster (1) v Cell C Sharks (8)
QF2: Ulster (2) v Connacht (7)
QF3: DHL Stormers (3) v Vodacom Bulls (6)
QF4: Glasgow Warriors (4) v Munster (5)
Kick-off times for the quarter-finals will be confirmed on Monday, 24 April after consultation with host broadcasters.