Graeme Rowntree witnessed a thorough defeat of his Munster team within the first quarter hour, indicating the need for considerable improvement as they head to South Africa. Despite the setback, Rowntree was not dispirited. He identified the match’s crux as their failure to seize available opportunities.
Rowntree noted that their opponents were formidable and took advantage of the few chances they got. He also touched upon an incident at the end of the first half, a forward pass that led to a disallowed try. Poised to change the game’s dynamics in the third quarter, Munster then let in another goal. According to Rowntree, he was satisfied with his team’s dedication. However, he emphasised that accuracy in performance is crucial against such a skilled opponent.
From the outset, things seemed to be heading south for Munster. Throughout the first 20 minutes, they had to substitute the entire front row. Diarmuid Barron replaced Niall Scannell, followed by John Ryan replacing Barron and Kieran Ryan taking over from Jeremy Loughman. Scannell made a comeback as Ryan’s replacement, all while Leinster had a solid 21-0 lead.
Rowntree admitted that the initial 20 minutes against Leinster wasn’t the squad’s finest display. With two HIA injuries and no hooker at one point rendered the team fragmented. Leinster, detecting the situation, gained possession and capitalised eagerly.
However, Rowntree credited his team’s offensive capabilities and adherence to strategy. He also mentioned a disallowed try that could have been a potential game-changer going into the third quarter. In the later stages of the match, they had opportunities which they could not convert, a point summed up by the failed Alex Nankivell’s pass to Tom Ahearn.
You must realise that we never ceased our attempts at playing, right? We are fit and healthy but the key lies in capitalising on those chances that come our way. There were instances where we were late to the breakdown and our lineout was confronted with some challenges this evening, faced up against an exceptional lineout defence. I will always call a spade a spade, however, I don’t plan on inciting panic either. I firmly believe our commitment was extraordinary tonight. We need to enhance our accuracy to progress further.
During the first disruptive period, the Munster lineout was heavily impacted. The very moment when they required secure possession in Leinster’s area to relieve the pressure, Barron made one blunder after another, which sped up the progression to Leinster’s second try. As for the head coach at Munster, such mishaps need to be rectified. Escaping such situations might occur with certain teams, not with strong teams like Leinster though.
There were a few situations where nobody made a move, we were all just trading glances. However, we cannot blame it all on a good lineout defence, that was our own mishap, a glaring one. There were other moments too when they simply took possession of the ball. That’s a skill they are good at.
Despite the final outcome, Rowntree didn’t lose hope in his team. Errors occur, chaos disrupts, Leinster capitalised the most out of it, but Munster didn’t back down. Without exaggerating events, he could see the silver lining in the dark night.
He stated, “Our dedication, our zeal, it remained constant till the end. We definitely are capable of playing, it’s just that occasionally we falter and become slightly negligent, resulting in a delay to the ruck, a forward pass, or simply trying to retain the ball. We need to get better at our accuracy. However, I have no complaints regarding their dedication.”