Rowntree rues Munster's power deficit and missed opportunities
DOWNBEAAT: Diarmuid Barron and Tom Ahern of Munster. Pic ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag
Graham Rowntree admitted his side were overpowered by the Sharks as Munster succumbed to their third URC defeat in a row for the first time in nine years on Saturday.
Munster ended their South African tour with a heavy defeat at Kings Park in Durban, bringing down the curtain on a problematic first six-game block of the new campaign which has garnered just two wins for last season’s regular-season table toppers.
The month-long league break that now follows for the November international window cannot come soon enough for Rowntree’s beleaguered and injury-hit side after they were outmuscled by a Springbok-heavy pack and conceded more than four tries for the fifth match in six rounds.
A late Tadhg Beirne try delivered a four-try bonus point but otherwise it was another difficult day on the road for Munster, who conceded the first try to full-back Aphalele Fassi after just 44 seconds and trailed 31-10 at half-time following further scores from South Africa wing Makezole Mapimpi, scrum-half Grant Williams and centre Andre Esterhuizen, Tom Ahern and Mike Haley replying for Munster.
The Sharks’ defence was busier in the second half with centre Lukhanyo Am engineering a tryline turnover shortly after the break, and Alex Kendellen and Tadhg Beirne both held up over the line but the Sharks’ dominance in this contest was never genuinely threatened and John Plumtree’s side extended their lead through a Jordan Hendriske penalty and a chargedown try from a Billy Burns kick by flanker Vincent Tshituka. Calvin Nash gave Munster hope of a bonus-point try with a well-finished 73rd minute try, his side’s third of the afternoon and the visitors duly added a fourth at the death as captain Beirne grabbed a vital point from close range with the clock past 80.
The Munster head coach rued both his side’s power deficit and their failure to capitalise on the opportunities they could not convert.
“They’re a very powerful team and they came at us early on, but we came back, we had opportunities,” Rowntree said. “We were held up over the tryline there, with Tadhg Beirne, Tom Farrell could have put Craig (Casey) away for a try, so we had our own opportunities.
“They took theirs better and at the end of the day they had a bit too much power for us.”
Rowntree and his backroom staff have plenty of work to do before the Lions visit Thomond Park on November 30 for their next league game, including a tour match against an All Blacks XV in Limerick next Saturday, but the boss did pay credit to his team for delivering a try bonus point.
“We scrapped for a bonus point, some young men coming onto the field and making some big dents in the game for us. We tend to do that, we stick in there but there were times when we were just overpowered and again, we’ve just got to take our opportunities.
“We go back to Ireland tomorrow now, we’ve got a huge game for the club next, we’re playing New Zealand at Thomond Park and we’ve got guys going into international camps, so this is the last time this group is going to be together for a while so we’ll dust ourselves down and move forward.”
Having come on tour to South Africa after a derby defeat to Leinster at Croke Park, Munster lost to the Stormers in Cape Town before this defeat in Durban, a fourth defeat in six matches.
“We’ve been in this position before,” Beirne said. “Coming out to South Africa this early in the season was always going to be tough and we’ve been lucky the last two years, we’ve done well when we’ve come out here at the tail end of the season.
“This year we’ve come at the start, the Sharks had all their internationals back and you’ve seen that quality to day. We have a lot of injuries and a lot of young lads have had to step up from the bench and credit to them but the better team won today.”
A Fassi; E Keyter, L Am, A Esterhuizen (F Venter, 59), M Mapimpi; Jordan Hendrikse (S Masuku, 71), G Williams (Jaden Hendrikse, 59); O Nche (N Mchunu, 62), B Mbonambi (F Mbatha, 62), V Koch (T Nyakane, 62); E Etzebeth – captain, E van Heerden (J Jenkins, 49); J Venter, V Tshituka, S Kolisi.
Yellow Card: J Venter 54-64 Replacements not used: R Dreyer, P Bhutelezi.
M Haley; C Nash, T Farrell, R Scannell (B Burns, 62), S O’Brien; J Crowley, C Casey (E Coughlan, 67); J Ryan (K Ryan, 67-77), N Scannell (D Barron, 50), S Archer (R Foxe, 72); J Kleyn (F Wycherley, 50), T Beirne - captain; T Ahern (R Quinn, 50), J Hodnett (A Kendellen, 50), J O’Donoghue.
Referee: Hollie Davison (Scotland).
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