We must improve

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Munster trawled through the video of the defeat to Glasgow, and Dougall says while it made for painful viewing, the province is eager to learn from the mistakes made in the 22-5 defeat at Thomond Park.

“It wasn’t great to look back at, to be honest. It never is when you’re facing a loss like that but you’ll learn from it. There are things that could easily be fixed and this weekend is a great game to start with,” he said.

“We created a lot of opportunities and put ourselves in good positions but maybe we weren’t clinical enough in certain areas with missed tackles and, as I said before, that’s easily fixed.”

However, Dougall accepts that Connacht have their own good reasons for wanting to win too, following their pounding in Ulster last weekend.

“You can’t underestimate any team and especially [them] after the loss they had in Belfast. You know they’re going to want to prove a point as well, just like us, so it’s going to be huge. As I said though, we have to win, no question about that.

“But with Connacht it always is difficult, especially at the Sportsground; there will be a lot of close contact stuff and our breakdown is going to be the key to get quick ball for the backs.

“It is tough. You go from a game like Toulouse trying to replicate that week in and week out, it’s difficult but it’s professional sport and you have to take the good with the bad and you have to prepare anyway every week so we’re going to have to learn how to do that.

“Still, there’s no point in dwelling on what happened last weekend. The point now is that we keep rebuilding, we just have to get back on track and build for the rest of the season.”

Dougall is back in the frame after picking up an ankle injury after Christmas — ironically against Connacht on December 27 — that kept him out of action for the last two rounds of the Heineken Cup and for five weeks in all.

“I’m back on track now and just trying to take my opportunities when they come,” he said.

Are some guys playing for Heineken Cup semi-final places tomorrow?

“You’d like to think so. For the lads, every game’s an opportunity and the good thing about this squad is there is so much competition for positions that every opportunity you get, lads want to go out and grab it. As a player you like to think that if you put in a good performance you’re rewarded.”