Munster aiming to bounce back again on South African raid, says Tom Ahern

The southern province will aim to put last weekend's Croke Park defeat behind them.

CHANGE OF SCENERY: Tom Ahern during Munster Rugby squad training in Cape Town this week. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports

The jeopardy may not be quite so acute for Munster as they steel themselves once more for South African battles in Cape Town and Durban but as far as Tom Ahern is concerned, the mission remains the same as it was at the tail end of the last two URC campaigns.

Rounds five and six of the regular season against the Stormers and Sharks on successive Saturdays do not carry the same pressures as Munster’s two previous visits under head coach Graham Rowntree. Last season’s visit to the South African Highveld came in rounds 14 and 15 with the province running out of games to secure a home draw for the end of season play-offs but also looking for a response following a tame Champions Cup exit at Northampton Saints at the beginning of April. Rowntree got it with bonus-point victories over both the Bulls in Pretoria and the Lions in Johannesburg to climb into third place with three games to go, the trip’s success instrumental in helping Munster secure first place at the top of the standings.

The year before that, Munster headed south even later in the campaign, and reeling from both a heavy Champions Cup round of 16 defeat at the Sharks two weeks prior and a home hammering by Glasgow in the league the week before that. Their place in the top eight spots necessary to reach the knockout rounds, Munster were in the last-chance saloon as they embarked on their South African tour for the final two regular-season rounds, at the Stormers and Sharks. A win and a draw was enough to sneak into the play-offs and the rest is history, Peter O’Mahony and Keith Earls lifting the URC trophy a month later back in Cape Town.

With a similar possibility still eight months in the offing and so much rugby still to be played, the “rescue the season” mentality of the two previous tours has been removed but fit-again lock Ahern has insisted: "The mission is exact same. Like coming down here, we are usually backs to the wall but at the same time we are looking for two good performances and hopefully get two good results.

"Every time we come down here to play a game we are looking to win so that doesn't change whether it is the end of the season or the start of the season. We are coming down here and we are expecting two tough games but we are hoping to win in those games.” 

Coming off a painful 26-12 derby defeat to Leinster at a packed Croke Park last Saturday, Munster will be looking to rebound for the second time in this opening phase of the new campaign. An opening win at Thomond Park against Connacht was followed by a historic first loss to Zebre Parma in Italy that drew stinging criticism both internally and externally and produced an excellent comeback performance in Cork with a 23-0 victory over Ospreys.

There were more positives coming away from Dublin’s northside than after the Italian debacle but Ahern recognised the need to atone once more after the early concession of a 21-0 lead to their arch rivals inside the opening quarter.

The review from Rowntree and his coaches was, the second row said, “fair enough”.

“Look, we were all disappointed with that result but there was a lot of positives to take out of it. We played some good rugby but I think the big takeaway was we made opportunities and the big focus this week is just on executing because all the best teams when you get your opportunities you have to nail them especially in big matches like that.

"When you are making opportunities it is good but you have got to finish them, that's the next thing.

“I am never going to question the commitment from the lads. We did show a lot of heart. We got off to a rough start and we went down 20-odd points but we kept fighting back.

"Look, some decisions are always going to go against you. It's always going to happen. Like I said earlier, it was a big day, we made opportunities and I think the work-on is to just finish them.”