Bulls dismantle Munster to leave Clayton McMillan with big summer test

If you are a relatively low-scoring team, you must be miserly in defence. Munster were not so this season

Munster were outgunned in almost every department by the Bulls in their URC quarter-final. Pic: ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart

Munster took the long return journey to Ireland from Johannesburg, physically bruised and mentally unsure of the future after a chastening wake-up call at Loftus Versfeld.

They were clinically dismantled by the Bulls, losing their United Rugby Championship quarter-final 45-14. Munster conceded six tries while three more Bulls scores were chalked off for obstruction and a forward pass.

It could have been so much worse on the scoreboard.

They were beaten up at set piece and in the aerial battle and had little answer to the Bulls’ physicality when the home team found rhythm on attack and created tempo at the breakdown.

There was plenty of tenacity and courage, mind, but Munster were sadly outgunned in almost every department. And it wasn’t the only time during the campaign.

This was their eighth loss of the season – seven coming in the 18-match round-robin phase. Overall they scored 410 points and conceded 421. That tells a small story.

Interestingly, the Bulls have also conceded 421 points in 19 matches this season, but have scored 611. There are different ways to approach the game. If you’re a relatively low scoring team, then you must be miserly on defence. Munster were not.

Obviously, there were mitigating factors contributing to the Loftus loss – the absence of key players such as Jack Crowley, Tadhg Beirne and Calvin Nash among them, would test any team’s reserves.

The long slog to Pretoria, the 1pm local time kick-off and the altitude of the highveld were more factors that could be used as excuses.

To their credit Munster never went there.

“We came down here a few weeks ago ( they lost 34-31 in March), played at the exact same time, had the exact same preparation,” scrumhalf and captain Craig Casey said after the match.

“We probably even had better prep this week. All these factors would just be using an excuse.

“I think it’s a class place to play, it’s a tough place to play, it always is, no matter what time it is. And that’s the beauty of coming down to South Africa and playing rugby down here. That’s what the URC gives us.” 

Casey is one player who never gives up. He is always a buzzing, positive presence, winning scraps and trying to find ways to make the most of a bad situation.

He is certainly someone around which Munster can rebuild in the coming season.

Munster players dejected and exhausted after the final whistle against the Bulls. Pic: Shaun Roy/Sportsfile

Whether that will be under coach Clayton McMillan will be revealed in due course, but the New Zealander was positive that the Loftus defeat should not be viewed as the end of something, but rather a bump on the road to former glories.

“We’ve got a team here who has a big ceiling that we are nowhere near yet at the moment,” McMillan said.

“We must keep striving hard to be better and to get closer to that ceiling, and that will give us the consistency of performance that we’re looking for.

“Lots of young guys that are coming through our system that have a lot of potential, and we’ve got a number of guys that are retiring and won’t get the opportunity to be in this arena again.

“That won’t hit them until the next season starts, and they’re not there, so our thoughts are with them.” There is clearly some reshuffling ahead and after a review of the season that also included Champions Cup failure and play-off defeat in the Challenge Cup.

Viewed purely through the prism of wins and losses, the 2025/26 season was mediocre at best. Elite sport is a results business and McMillan will have to make a good case to show where growth has happened this season.

“We’ve got a number of coaches that are going on to other appointments, and we’ll miss their contribution and influence, but also wish them well in their next journey in their coaching career,” McMillan said.

“Look, there’s going to be some change that there is in just about every environment every year, isn’t it?

“That’s the thing, the thing that will hurt too around this group is that next year it’ll be different, there’ll be different people, and that happens in every rugby environment.

“It’ll be different again the year after, which is why you want to make the most of the opportunities to get in the final and keep progressing.” Scorers:

Bulls – Tries: E Papier (2), KL Arendse, J Grobbelaar, C Hanekom, S Jacobs. Conversions: H Pollard (6). Penalty: Pollard.

Munster – Tries: J O’Donoghue, A Nankivell. Conversions: JJ Hanrahan (2).

BULLS: 15 W le Roux (S Petersen-72), 14 KL Arendse, 13 C Moodie, 12 H Vorster (S Gans-60), 11 S Jacobs, 10 H Pollard, 9 E Papier (P de Wet-57), 8 C Hanekom (J Rudolph-60), 7 E Louw, 6 M Coetzee (captain) (M Van Staden-64), 5 R Nortje, 4 R Vermaak (C Wiese-60), 3 F Klopper (M Smith-74), 2 J Grobbelaar, 1 G Steenekamp (JH Wessels-78).

MUNSTER: 15 M Haley, 14 A Smith (D Kelly-50), 13 A Nankivell, 12 Seán O’Brien, 11 S Daly (B O’Donovan-72), 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 C Casey (captain), 8 B Gleeson (G Coombes-48-58), 7 J Hodnett (A Kendellen-50), 6 J O’Donoghue (Gleeson-59), 5 E O’Connell, 4 T Ahern (F Wycherley-10), 3 M Ala’alatoa (C Bartley-62), 2 N Scannell (D Barron-35), 1 Jeremy L (J Wycherley-60).