GRAHAM ROWNTREE, THE Munster coach, has backed his players to bounce back from tonight’s defeat to Connacht, the third loss they have suffered from four games this season.
Trying to pick positives from a display as disjointed as this was not an easy task for the new coach, although he did find some, praising the effort they put in.
The issue, he maintained, was their indiscipline and inaccuracy.
After the 20-11 defeat Rowntree, said: “We lost our way.
“We were inaccurate again and the last 15 minutes in particular was littered with ill-discipline, where we backed up penalty on penalty. It put us under pressure so that will again receive our focus in training.
“The annoying thing that’s killing us is us – our control of the ball, our accuracy and our discipline, giving away penalties to maul side-entries and breakdown side-entries.”
For a while it looked like being different after Ben Healy’s second penalty gave Munster a six-point lead on 46 minutes. They failed to score thereafter.
“We didn’t push on from there,” Rowntree lamented.
“We had a big opportunity going into the ’22 and we lost control of the ball, next thing we know we’re back in the ’22.
“We’ve got to be better with our ball retention in that area of the field, you know on top of this I can’t fault the energy, the effort from the lads.
“We’ve just got to be more accurate.
“We’ll keep driving that and keep pushing it down their necks; accuracy, accuracy, accuracy under pressure, under fatigue.”
To make matters worse, injuries are mounting. Peter O’Mahony (neck) came off seven minutes from the end.
“We’ll look forward to a huge game at home next week, against a very good, physical (Bulls) team in front of our home crowd.
“I can see what we’re doing in attack on the training field coming out in how we play and the intensity of what we’re doing there.
“We are finding out about some young men coming through. I’m keen to bring those guys through as soon as we can and when appropriate so there are two big positives for me.”
As for Connacht, things were considerably more positive as they recorded their first win of the season after defeats away to Ulster, Bulls and Stormers in the opening three rounds of the season.
“We said coming into the game we needed to win and we’re now talking about the fact that we got it,” said their head coach, Andy Friend afterwards.
“It wasn’t perfect, we know that, but it was a win, it was an interpro win, it was our first home game on our new pitch and in front of our fans and friends and supporters here. It’s a great way to start the weekend.”
Key factors contributing to that win were simple ones, Friend maintained.
“I just thought our physicality was really good,” said Friend.
“I thought our forward pack laid a really good platform for us and we dominated the physicality.
“That was what we said coming into the game, that it was the team that was going to be the most physical, the most disciplined, and have the least amount of unforced errors, would win, and I think on two of those fronts it was us. I don’t know about the unforced errors yet, I haven’t seen those stats, but I thought we were the team that delivered on that front too.”
It’s brilliant to see fans who think Munster are entitled to beat us, despite the fact that they have been average for a decade
@Patrick Breen: Who on here has expressed anything even close to entitled to beat Connacht? Majority of the comments have been fairly negative about Munster’s play so far this season and past seasons.
@B Collins: People make up whatever c@p needed to justify their feelies
@B Collins: there was plenty on here, and on Munster fan forums, who believe that beating Connacht should be a given. Even looking at how it is reported, the story is built all around the comments of the Munster coach who lost, not the Connacht coach who won. Look, I don’t have a chip on my shoulder – I daresay that entitlement is present among Leinster and Ulster supporters, but the difference for them is that their expectation is well founded – they are a level above us at present, and we need to work very hard to reach it, and be on our a game to win against them. Munster are not at that level, and that’s the reality for a few seasons now.
@B Collins: you may be surprised to know that I converse with people in the real world, and many of them felt the result of last night’s game was a foregone conclusion.
Rowantree getting some flack, but I think hes doing the right thing. There was a quote that a sports person knows he’s in decline, not because he plays bad games, but because he plays more and more average games, lot of players in the Munster squad while able to pull out and play some big games, are playing more and more average gains, and there needs to be a cull, and I think Rowantree has it played for this summer. He’s implimenting a new style and as such results will be off at the start, and then erratic later in the season before gelling. Munster will win some big games, prob in Europe, but I think a few more bad results will come this season as well, should still make the playoffs and if have gelled to new systems and style, could have a wee run.
@Kingshu: Why I think Rowantree has it right, and didn’t have the major cull this summer, is he whats to see which players can adapt and be effiective in the new style, while also keeping that experience in the team to bring young players into, so that next summer he will have a better idea of who needs to go, which youths are up to this level, and they will have more experience, when they get more responsibility. May be a tough couple of years, with ups and downs, and no realistic hope of silverware, but as long as Munster fans can see the progress and that a team and style that could win something in 3 years is being built, they should stay with him.
@Kingshu: great to see the positives? Ireland needs a strong successful Munster. Very hard to see it at the moment. No Munster player could make the Ireland squad based on this evenings display.
@Kingshu: in that case they should have kept Rob Penney, he had a clear game plan. Rowntree so far seems to have a very similar approach to VG but is also being let down by his player at the moment
@Kingshu: Not sure about him. Zero improvement over the 4 games. Admittedly injuries haven’t helped but some level of improvement should be happening.
Fekitoa has played 4 games and achieved fa. Kilcoyne well off where he was. Scannell yuk. O’Donoghue making schoolboy errors. No pride being shown in the jersey. Hard to see exactly what the coaches are trying to implement. Supposedly working on fitness levels and intensity but it’s not showing.
Can’t see us making the playoffs this season barring a major change in attitude.
@Norushatall: maybe you see a pattern? You can’t blame every coach and not look at the players! If the players don’t change what do you do?
He has to bring on the young guys in order to change mindset and to build an effective team, just like France did with their National side. Otherwise, Munster will become the fourth province.
Penney tried to build a team but didn’t get the support of the players. While he was there Munster looked like they were building something decent but no base support. Instead the same old attritional rugby. Crashing through opposition instead of smart play.
In the game last night Munster had some great offloads, but didn’t result in a score but kept pressure on Connacht. They’ll get there if the players are willing to change.
@Con Cussed: If we’re honest Connacht were only average last night yet should have beaten us by a lot more. 2 cons & a pen badly missed. Another 7 points that would have been a truer reflection of game.
Team selection? Philips clearly not ready for this level so why not start Scannell in the centre with Goggin on the wing?
@Liam O’Flaherty: I Thought Coombes was decent on his first game back.
@Kingshu: shuking (sic) spelling, the gentleman’s surname is Rowntree and his focus, going forward, will be on accuracy.
@Con Cussed: actually not blaming Rob Penney in the slightest, there were real green shoots in the style of rugby he played with a team that were so use to the attritional style of play. No blame on Rowntree either, I just think the skill level of the squad isn’t at the level that has been shown by the 3 other provinces in the past couple of years. Munster unfortunately have a lot of catching up to do!
The winning coach’s thoughts on the game are crambed in the bottom. Wow a new level of lazy from the 42
Slow slow ball and a mostly dominated front five gave everything from 10 out zero time on the ball, for me the call to start Murray was off. looking forward to a first home game next week tho, SA teams are a different beast this season start, should be a great game, enjoyed last night’s game, this team isn’t clicking yet and I think GR is holding it out so people can see, Connacht definitely bought more intensity and accurate to the game. The ref was off the pace, but pretty evenly in fairness. Didn’t know a tackler has to retreat behind the ruc after releasing before he can compete for the ball, must be a new rule.
@thesaltyurchin: For it to be a great game Munster will have to show massive improvement. Based on last nights performance level we’ll concede a handy 5 points to the bulls.
For POM & Beirne were to only 2 players who were anyway good in Galway. I’d give Coombes a pass as only back from injury.
BTW first home game was last week! We won against a mistake riddled Zebre.
@TL55: Fair enough I suppose, but Thomond is home.
Hugely frustrating as a connacht fan last night- munster constantly slowing play, offside, in from the side- archer in the 70th especially but all let go…..