Rowntree buoyed by Munster resolve but Burns faces injury scan

Munster shared a 10-try thriller with Connacht at Thomond Park on Saturday to score a 35-33 victory

Billy Burns of Munster leaves the pitch with an injury during the United Rugby Championship match between Munster and Connacht at Thomond Park in Limerick. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Graham Rowntree spoke of his relief at Munster’s ability to stick in a rollercoaster URC derby with Connacht and come out on top of a game “we had to win”.

Munster shared a 10-try thriller with the westerners at Thomond Park on Saturday to score a 35-33 victory in the opening round of the 2024-25 league campaign. It was a contest that saw the lead change seven times before a clutch touchline conversion from replacement fly-half Tony Butler secured the first winning points of the new season.

Victory came at a cost for Munster, though, with the loss of experienced starting fly-half and summer signing Billy Burns to what the head coach believes is a shoulder injury to an AC joint. Yet the boss’s overwhelming emotion was one of relief as Munster came from 12-0 down after 21 minutes and 19-14 at the interval to trade blow for blow and eventually come out on top thanks Butler’s 70th minute conversion of a Shane Daly try.

“We had to win that,” Rowntree said. “The resolve we showed to stick in that game... Crikey, they were good. I just said to Pete (Wilkins, Connacht’s head coach) there, how physical they were in their carry, their ruck, their shapes in attack out the back and they get to the edge of the field. Crikey, they were good. We had to be good then. Look at the tries they scored early on, Craig Casey getting done off the side of the scrum, you don't see that very often.

“But relief, I'm chuffed with how we stuck in the game. Half time was calm. You know, there's elements of that first 20 where the last little pass didn't go to hand. Mike Haley could have just put (Thaakir) Abrahams down the wing there, next thing we know we're back defending a scrum, give a daft lineout penalty away.

“We're just snatching at things a bit, but we wrestle control again at the end there and Tony Butler, a real clutch kick from the edge of the field. He got a good workout defensively. Plenty to work on, but delighted with the win.” 

Of his two fly-halves, former Ulster 10 Burns, 30, and newly-minted senior squad member and academy product Butler, Rowntree said: “We'll see how Billy is on Monday morning, he'll have a scan tomorrow and have a look at it. AC joint, there’s no denying that. So we'll see from Monday who is available.

“Tony, clutch kicks. I'd hate to do that for a living. I'm proud of him. We just had a nice chat there, he knows he has a lot of work to do in that channel defensively.”

Connacht boss Wilkins said he had contrasting emotions after watching his team score five tries and pick both a try and losing bonus points away from home but still end up on the losing side.

“Very much mixed feelings,” Wilkins said. “Huge disappointment because I thought we put ourselves in a position to win the game and get what would have been a famous result for us, as well as getting ourselves off to a flier.

“At the same time, to have not taken that and to see the lead slip away is particularly difficult.

“I think over the next 48 hours we'll reflect, five tries, two competition points, and a really, really promising performance. I think we'll see the positives of that and it's important we build on it next week against the Sharks.”