Munster staring down barrel of Champions Cup exile

Munster's season is already in danger of spiralling into deeper disappointment than was feared.

UNDER PRESSURE: Munster head coach Graham Rowntree before the game. Picture ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

Whatever Graham Rowntree imagined his venture into head coaching would look like when he succeeded Johann van Graan as captain of the good ship Munster, he can hardly have pictured himself plugging holes below the waterline just four weeks into the voyage.

Yet three defeats from the first quartet of matches in this BKT United Rugby Championship campaign has found a man who had apparently seen and learned everything there was to know about coaching in the 15 years since he called time on a glittering on-field career look completely perplexed by his players’ current inability to perform to the required standards.