'Chuffed with that' — Graham Rowntree delighted to see Munster cut loose against Connacht 

The home side ran in seven tries in the interpro at Thomond Park. 

Munster Head Coach Graham Rowntree. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

Munster boss Graham Rowntree was delighted with his players as the URC champions took a confident stride closer to a home play-off draw with a seven-try, 47-12 demolition of Connacht at Thomond Park on Saturday.

With two games of the regular season remaining, Munster made it seven wins in a row as they turned on the style in front of 20,138 supporters on a warm and sunny evening in Limerick to record their first interprovincial victory of the campaign and deny the westerners the opportunity to climb back into the top eight in the standings.

While Connacht now need something from two difficult games, at home to the Stormers next week and then away to Leinster on May 31, in order to reach the end of season play-offs and qualify for next season’s Champions Cup, the victors can secure a home quarter-final with a win at Edinburgh this coming Friday night having moved to just two points behind league leaders Glasgow Warriors with this bonus-point success, a sixth in their last seven outings.

First-half tries from RG Snyman and Calvin Nash, both converted by Jack Crowley, had not reflected the dominance Munster had enjoyed across the first 40 minutes, the scores coming with Connacht’s Shamus Hurley-Langton in the sin bin. Byron Ralston’s try just before half-time compounded the sense of missed opportunities as the home side took a 14-7 lead into the interval.

Having weathered an initial burst of pressure from Connacht after half-time, though, Munster glided through the gears and played what Rowntree described as some “scintillating rugby” to deliver tries from man of the match Alex Nankivell, replacements Conor Murray, Joey Carbery and Tom Ahern, before starting wing Shane Daly completed the rout, Ralston having added his second for Connacht on 66 minutes.

“Delighted with that,” head coach Rowntree said. “We were a bit frustrated after 20 minutes, we weren't getting our own way, weren't taking our chances often enough but we stuck to the plan and we played some scintillating rugby and some big performances.

I thought Jack (O'Donoghue) was outstanding, just a dominance in all of his actions. Chuffed with that, yeah… our first Irish interpro win this year.” 

Munster had been well beaten in Galway in the sides’ first meeting of the season on January 1, Connacht dealing much better with rainy conditions to run out 22-6 winners at the Sportsground. It was a game referenced by Rowntree on Saturday night as he reflected on his squad levelling the series.

“These were a sticky crowd, something goes on every time we play them. They beat us on New Year's Day. They were tactically better than us that night, a couple of things went against us.

“They are a well-coached team, a sticky team. I'm delighted with the result. It gives us continued momentum of what we did in South Africa. Six-day turnaround up in Edinburgh, we've got good momentum.

“I don't see us making a load of changes (for the Edinburgh game). We need to keep momentum with the guys that are playing well.” Rowntree’s opposite number Pete Wilkins admitted Connacht had got the result their performance had merited.

“It’s hugely disappointing,” Wilkins said. “It hurts any time you lose an interpro but when you see a scoreline get away from you like it did, it hurts a lot.

“The overwhelming feeling is that you’ve not done yourself justice, you’ve not done your supporters justice, and as I said to the lads, they will be frustrated because we are better than the performance we delivered today.

“But at the end of the day, that is the performance we delivered and we got what we deserved.”