Highs
URC semi-final: Leinster 15 Munster 16, May 13th, 2023
Munster came into some form before the URC knock-outs in 2023 with a win and a draw from a trip to South Africa, and followed that up with a victory over Glasgow away from home. Leinster were a different proposition though, as a team that finished 24 points above them in the table and had only lost one game all season to that point. Even if it was not a full-strength Leinster side with an eye on the Champions Cup final, Munster were very impressive in grinding out a victory sealed with a brilliant late drop goal by outhalf Jack Crowley
URC Final: Stormers 14 Munster 19, May 27th, 2023
Another feat against the odds for Munster to win their first silverware in 12 years. After beating Leinster, Graham Rowntree’s men went to play defending URC champions Stormers in Cape Town and came out victorious after tries from Diarmuid Barron, Calvin Nash and man of the match John Hodnett. His highest point as manager.
Champions Cup: Toulon 18 Munster 29, January 13th, 2024
Rowntree’s best moments as head coach tended to come away from home and their biggest high in Europe came when they beat Toulon in France in the Champions Cup group stage last season. Alex Nankivell, Simon Zebo, Tom Ahern and Calvin Nash all notched tries in an emphatic bonus-point win with an ambitious brand of running rugby in full flow. “The brighter the lights, the better I play,” Zebo said, his ingenuity missed badly this season for Rowntree.
Munster part ways with Graham Rowntree
Lows
Champions Cup: Sharks 50 Munster 35, April 1st, 2023
Munster often struggled to keep the score down on the defensive end under Rowntree and they were left feeling like April Fools when they conceded seven tries to the Sharks in Durban. The Irish province were blown away by a four-try burst in the 18 minutes after half-time, a few late tries putting some respectability on the result. Poor handling mistakes and discipline proved costly as they exited Europe.
Champions Cup: Munster 23 Northampton 26, January 20th, 2024
Arguably the lowest point from a moment that promised to be one of the highest. The frustration was inasmuch how well they played against a strong Northampton to lead 20-10 against 14 men after a red card for the English side. From that point onwards they lost their way completely despite the extra man, and ended up falling behind to a late Sam Graham try. The result meant an away tie in the next round instead of a home one, which made all the difference as they went out.
URC: Zebre Parma 42 Munster 33, September 28th, 2024
“That wasn’t good enough from us,” said Rowntree, who said it would take him all night to go through all that went wrong in their defeat to Italian side Zebre, who they had beaten in all 20 previous meetings. Munster were made to pay for a sloppy display, and it was a result that helped lead to their underwhelming position in the URC table heading into the international break.
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