'That is going to give us a shot in the arm' - Rowntree savours Springbok scalp

WARM EMBRACE: Munster head coach Graham Rowntree and Simon Zebo of Munster after their side's victory in the match between Munster and South Africa Select XV at Páirc Ui Chaoimh in Cork. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Graham Rowntree celebrated a famous Munster victory and a special night for the province as South Africa A were beaten 28-14 on rugby’s first visit to Cork’s Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Thursday night.

A sell-out crowd of 41,400, the largest attendance to witness a rugby match in the southern province turned the home of Cork GAA into a fortress as Rowntree’s men outscored a South African squad containing 14 capped Springboks by four tries to one in almost constant rain by the banks of the Lee.

For the first-season head coach it was also the moment his tenure gained lift-off after a shaky start to life after Johann van Graan, whom he succeeded this summer. Munster went into the international break languishing in 14th place in the 16-team BKT United Rugby Championship with just two wins in the first seven games and a lengthy injury list compounded by the loss of several frontline senior players to Ireland’s November Test campaign. Yet the players left behind rose to the occasion, backed by a passionate, raucous crowd who witnessed first-half tries from Shane Daly, Simon Zebo and Diarmuid Barron before Mike Haley added a fourth just after half-time.

The South Africans scored a try in both halves but were thwarted throughout by a high-intensity defensive performance from Munster and set-piece that grew in effectiveness to nullify the tourists’ primary weapons, just as Ireland had done to the Springboks in Dublin five days earlier. Now the head coach believes the victory can be a launchpad for his side when the URC resumes at the end of the month and the Champions Cup pool campaign begins in December.

“Excellent,” Rowntree said. “It’s brilliant, a special night for the club and a special night for all those people who worked exceptionally hard to get this game organised. And the support was brilliant, although the weather wasn’t the best.

“That is going to give us a shot in the arm moving forward into the next batch of games.” 

The former Munster forwards coach said neither the occasion or his team’s performance had surpassed pre-match expectations.

“I had a feeling it would be like that given how quickly it sold out and given the support and the history of the support we’ve had in these games against international opposition. I wasn’t surprised. I’m just so proud of everyone involved," he added.

“I can see what we’ve been doing. There’s been elements coming out in the game. Tonight you saw a team playing from the get-go. I though the balance to our game was really good.” 

Asked whether the win will carry weight into the rest of the campaign, Rowntree said: “It has to, it has to be a springboard and give us confidence. Because that was a proper game, they’re a good team, a big team. So we have to take confidence from that moving into the next block.”