GRAHAM ROWNTREE SAID that Munster were their own worst enemies in a poor defeat to the Stormers at DHL Stadium.
Munster have endured a tough start to the season, losing three of their first five games.
Over the past two weeks, they’ve lost 26-12 to Leinster in Dublin and 34-19 to the Stormers in Cape Town.
While they’ve played well in patches, the results as well as the scorelines suggest that they are operating well below their potential.
Rowntree was in a particularly scornful mood after the loss to the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday night. While his team had their chances, they went on to concede four tries and lose by a 15-point margin.
“I’ve got a disappointed group [in the changing room],” the Munster boss said.
“It got away from us. Even in the third quarter, I thought we’d fight our way back in with our fitness and skills, but then we killed ourselves around the accuracy at set-piece.
“We killed ourselves in so many facets. Don’t take anything away from the Stormers, but we killed ourselves.”
Munster conceded several scrum penalties, and while they pressured the Stormers lineout throughout the contest, they won a paltry eight from 14 on their own feed for a completion rate of 57%.
“Our discipline wasn’t terrible, but it was at the root of a lot of problems,” added Rowntree.
“If I think of their first try in the second half [Stormers centre Ruhan Nel’s first], there was a scrum penalty, then we were offside from a lineout maul, and they eventually got to the edge of the field.
“But we still had opportunities thereafter, and we didn’t take them.
We’re halfway through a two-game tour of South Africa, and I’ve seen on occasions like this where it can get away from us. We’re not gonna let it. We’re gonna stay tight, work own our improvements and drive on.
The coach was adamant that the issues could and would be fixed ahead of the next clash against the Sharks in Durban. The Springbok-laden side beat Glasgow Warriors 28-24 on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s the controllables from us, our error count, especially when we get into the opposition 22.
“I think that was our issue against the Stormers. They caught us on occasions, but we let them.
“By the end of the game, we were doing uncharacteristic things, like not kicking off 10 metres. I’ve not seen that before.
“I don’t have to point out what the lads have to do better, this is an honest group. But I’m extremely disappointed, as are the lads.”
While Rowntree admitted that the game against the Stormers had taken a physical toll on his players, he was uncertain as to who might miss the next clash.
“We’ll see what bodies we’ve got available, because on this tour, you’ve got another huge game next week against the Sharks.
“We’re a tight group. Historically, these South African trips have made us even tighter.
“The guys are frustrated, but we won’t get derailed by this.”