Kick up the backside was what we needed says Munster coach Rowntree
The Reds lost their two pre-season games to Bath and Gloucester, but their head coach is unconcerned.
Munster coach Graham Rowntree insists he is happy his province had a pre-season meltdown because they needed a kick up the ass.
Last year’s beaten URC semi-finalists took a hangover from their last four beating by Glasgow into pre-season where they lost to Bath and Gloucester.
But Rowntree, who guided the Red Army to URC glory in 2023, is unworried.
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He said: “We should have beaten Bath and learned a lot from that game - especially when they took a quick throw from a 50:22 and caught us napping.
“But I would sooner find out things like that in a warm-up game. Then we had a real punch in the nose against Gloucester last Friday night where we were not quite right for the game contact wise.
“And after sulking on it for three days, I am glad it happened because it has given us a kick up the backside. If I compare us to our URC opponents in round 1, Connacht, they have beaten the Premiership semi-finalists in Sale Sharks and then defeated the URC champions in Glasgow and are flying high.
“That means we have work to do and I don’t mind that. It keeps us grounded.”
So did the shock of last year’s semi defeat to Glasgow, which came after Munster put together a 10-game unbeaten run to finish top in the regular season.
Then the Flying Scotsmen came to town and upset the odds.
Rowntree said: “We lost one game by seven points. That can happen. We took some learnings from it. We banked that.
“I’ve not done a huge post-mortem on it.
“We reflected on the game and then we went to the pub. It wasn’t a deep dive, we didn’t drill into it. Of course, we looked at aspects of the game and we covered off the season and went and had a social.
“We move on.”
And they do so in a competition that has rapidly moved on from the days when Leinster dominated it, winning four straight PRO14 titles from 2018 to 2021 before it was rebranded the URC with the arrival of four South African sides.
Since their arrival Leinster have not made a SINGLE final unlike the South Africans who have had at least one side in each of the last three deciders.
And so a competition that was once a joke is now viewed with respect.
Rowntree said: “The South Africans have certainly improved the competition. If you look at the Bulls, they have advanced their game. They are playing a lot more rugby and it is much more than just a power game.
“Certainly we have measured ourselves very strongly against the South African teams as there is a jeopardy in going to South Africa. You have to pick the right 30 guys to travel there for two games. Inevitably the factor of altitude creates a different kind of jeopardy too because the guys are unused to that.
“I firmly believe that to advance in the competition, the points you gain in South Africa are vital.
“Their presence in the competition is only good for the game.”
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