AFTER YESTERDAY’S GRIPPING URC interpro derby in Limerick, Graham Rowntree sat down in the Thomond Park press room and rattled out some numbers.
“We were 11th on 2 January,” Rowntree reminded his audience, “and picked up 44 of a possible 45 points since that Connacht game.”
It’s been a remarkable run of form, and while this ninth straight URC win wasn’t the prettiest Munster performance of the season, Rowntree had every right to be proud of his team’s efforts.
In the not-so-distant past, it wouldn’t have been hard to imagine Munster losing this game. Their accuracy was off, their discipline poor, and the more they tried to make things happen with no success the more the crowd became audibly frustrated.
Yet against a spirited Ulster side Munster turned it around, scoring three second-half tries on their way to a bonus-point victory which wrapped up top spot in the league table and locked in a home quarter-final date with Ospreys on Friday night, as well as bagging home advantage right through the knockouts should they advance.
Winners find a way, and when the going got tough, Munster dug in.
Jack Crowley overcame a strikingly loose first-half to play an important part in the victory. Joey Carbery was excellent after being introduced as a first-half replacement for the injured Rory Scannell. Shane Daly and Calvin Nash both looked sharp on the wings, Seán O’Brien was superb in midfield and the 6/2 bench split made a telling impact across the second half.
It’s knockout rugby now, and the defending champions head into the business end of the season knowing they are tough to beat even when having an off day.
That’s not the worst place in the world to be, and the faults in this performance should sharpen the focus ahead of Friday’s quarter-final. Deliver another performance like this, and they might not come out the other side.
“Our discipline was poor,” said Rowntree.
“Jack Crowley, by his own admission, in the side of ruck, it’s a penalty, they go in the corner, they break down the front of the maul. Then he kicks a ball directly out from a goalline drop-out. They’re just individual errors, which he’ll recover from, and he did in the game.
When we get the ball in their 22, we were forcing things, forcing passes, we just lacked a bit of composure. Half time was about being calm.”
Those calm heads delivered the desired response after the break, with the Munster bench helping swing the momentum as the hosts turned a 10-point deficit into a five-point win.
Rowntree said the nature of the victory will stand to his players but Richie Murphy can also feel good about his team’s showing.
The Ulster boss was visibly frustrated to not take anything from the game but there was enough in the performance to again highlight the good work he’s managed to do in such a short space of time.
Ulster were well organised, defended with admirable determination and played with spirit, leading for most of the game before Munster seized control in the second half – the hosts winning the final 30 minutes 22-8.
John Cooney was typically excellent, while young players Cormac Izuchukwu (24 years old), David McCann (23) and Jude Postlethwaite (22) also stood out.
It will be a big ask to topple Leinster at the Aviva Stadium next weekend but Ulster have the tools to give it a real crack – having beaten Leo Cullen’s men in Belfast only a few weeks ago.
Doing it again in Dublin may prove a step too far too soon, but the optimism currently surrounding this Ulster team would have been hard to envision just a few short months ago as the Dan McFarland era came to a limp conclusion.
They won’t be given much of a chance against Leinster, but of course, Munster weren’t given much of a chance as they embarked on a remarkable run through the playoffs before landing URC success last year.
Knockout rugby is a different beast. Just being there is half the battle.
