'My best day ever': Munster's Rowntree raises a glass to a truly vintage red

Munster supremo toasts the end of the province's trophy drought and looks forward to the enormity of URC Grand Final glory sink in, preferably with a good glass of plonk

HOW SWEET IT IS: Munster's Tadhg Beirne and head coach Graham Rowntree speak to the media after the game. Pic:INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Sipping somewhat reluctantly from a can of Castle Lager, Graham Rowntree said he was very much looking forward to toasting his "best day ever" with a couple of glasses of his preferred plonk. 

The Munster supremo was savouring an historic victory more than any particular liquid refreshment as the enormity of the province's URC Grand Final triumph in Cape Town slowly began to set in on the Englishman on Saturday night. In his first season at the helm, a campaign that featured a very rough start and some crushing defeats along the way, Rowntree had guided Munster back to the winners podium in the centre of the pitch on a day that really mattered. 

As a veteran of coaching tickets at Leicester and Harlequins as well as international set-ups with England, Georgia and the Lions, Rowntree has seen plenty of glory days in his time. Yet an hour or so after Saturday evening's 19-14 victory over the Stormers at a raucous Cape Town Stadium, Rowntree took a moment in the silence and called this the finest day of his coaching life. 

"It’s my best ever. It’ll sink in at some point…depending on how much pinotage I drink in the next 12 hours," smiled Rowntree. "It’ll sink in. It’s my best day ever, just the manner in which we’ve done it: away from home, doing it tough, tight group, not rotated the squad a lot. I’m immensely proud."

In a pulsating and punishing affair on a stodgy surface, Rowntree lauded his team's ability to dig in and find a way to win, refusing to wilt in the face of a second-half Stormers surge before finding the perfect moment to pounce with John Hodnett's clinching try four minutes from time. 

"Bravery is sticking in the game, isn’t it? When it gets tight, it gets sticky towards the end of the game. It’s close. That’s bravery," he said. "And the skill level that we showed then to get John over the line. But all that comes from being battle-hardened and being used to doing that over the last few months. That’s really stood to us, where we’ve been in the last few weeks."

When the final whistle sounded and red bodies raced on to the pitch and the thousands of visiting fans in the stands roared with delight, the TV cameras had captured Rowntree as more reflective, solemn even, putting his head in his hands in the coaching box.

"It's elation from me, that. Head in my hands. Emotion. I'm not going to lie, it was emotion at the end there," he added. "I'm not going to lie, it's a huge moment for the club. Players, fans, they've been very patient waiting for this trophy. The club has lost special people in that time, Peter [O'Mahony] spoke brilliantly about it at the end. This is for the people we've lost over the years.

"It's a special group, a number of players have waited patiently - Pete being one of those - to win a trophy.

"I'm immensely proud of this group, delighted for the whole of the province and its people who are here now; the playing group, their families, their kids watching, the supporters, the red army that followed us here; unbelievable.

"I mean, we drove into the stadium and there was a red army of flags coming in. I'm delighted for those people.

"The game itself, I'm proud of the lads. We did it tough. I spoke extensively yesterday about this being our sixth game away from home, can we do this? The places we've gone, the performances we've put in; we haven't been perfect, we're still growing our game but we always stick in the game. We had some adversity.

"I'm unbelievably proud of everyone who's involved in this prestigious club that is Munster Rugby."

Rowntree also had warm words for two key members of his panel for whom Saturday's epic was their last appearance in red — backs Malakai Fekitoa and Ben Healy. 

"We singled them out afterwards tonight in the dressing room," he revealed. "To thank them for their contribution. Malaki particularly his form in the last three months has been exceptional. Ben said to me, the day he told me he was leaving, he said ‘I want to win something with this club before I go’. He’s done it and I’m immensely proud of him."