HEAD COACH GRAHAM Rowntree says that a “battle-hardened” Munster team showed their character to win the United Rugby Championship final in Cape Town.
Munster beat the Stormers 19-14 to claim their first major title in 12 years. Despite a challenging start to the season, Rowntree’s charges bounced back to win their last six matches – a run including three play-offs victories away from home.
After the final at the Cape Town Stadium, Rowntree and stand-in captain Tadhg Beirne attended the post-match press conference clutching tall cans of beer.
“It’s elation for me, and a huge moment for the club,” the coach said of the drought-ending result. “The fans have been very patient waiting for this trophy over the years. This one’s for them.
“I’m just delighted for the whole province… all the families and kids watching at home, and to the Red Army that followed us over here. When we drove to the stadium today, we looked out at the incredible support. For them to come all the way here and show that is unbelievable.”
Munster dominated for much of the first half, yet took a 12-7 lead into the break. The Stormers hit back strongly in the second stanza, but were ultimately denied by a more determined and clinical Munster team.
“I was disappointed that the try by Gavin Coombes wasn’t awarded,” Rowntree said of the disallowed score in the first half. “That seemed a try to me. We should have been 19 points up at half-time.
“But this is a great Stormers team, they have a great coach and they are playing at home in front of 50,000-plus fans. We had to do it tough, as we had done it all season. Not everything went our way. There were big momentum swings, and moments when we got blown for obstruction. We’ve got to look at showing better pictures.
“But through all of that, we showed an ability to recover under pressure,” Rowntree added. “We stuck to our game, and that’s what Munster do.
“We’re battle-hardened after what we’ve been through in recent weeks. We haven’t been able to rotate our squad massively, and so to come through like we did, it’s nothing short of incredible.
“I’m dribbling a bit now,” Rowntree added with a chuckle, “although I’ve only had half a can of beer. I’ll have some red wine later.”
No doubt, a celebratory drink for the coach and the squad is well-earned.
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