ONLY minutes after the final whistle in Italy at the weekend and Munster coach Graham Rowntree is facing some tricky questions.
His post-match comments turn towards shock winners Zebre, and would one loved to have been a fly on the wall in the dressing room when his players gathered for training in Limerick on Monday.
Asked on Saturday where it all went wrong after leading 15-28 at the break, the head coach replied: “I could be here until it gets dark.”
“That was not good enough from us, we lost our way in the third quarter. I don’t want to take anything from Zebre. It was a spirited display from them.”
Right from the kick-off, Munster were guilty of basic errors.
It was possibly the worst performance by a Munster side for many seasons. However, it was good to see Garryowen’s Bryan Fitzgerald enjoy a scoring debut. There is no point picking on individual players; there appeared to be no leadership, they conceded the tempo of the game and they paid the price.
Should Conor Murray have been brought on earlier? It was the first time Munster had lost to an Italian team in the league since they were beaten by Benetton Treviso way back in September 2013.
This Saturday’s URC third round fixture in Virgin Media Park (7.35pm) could well be another sticky one for Munster, certainly if the recent poor performance is not sorted out.
The Ospreys hit the headlines with a super display and ran out 37-24 victors over the Stormers in Bridgend. They ran Munster close at the latter stages of last season in Thomond Park and they are certainly a side not to be taken for granted.
“We might not be too aesthetically pleasing sometimes but we’ll get the job done, so I think it’s quite representative of us as a group,” said Ospreys coach Tony Booth on a weekend when Reuben Mogan-Williams, on his 100th appearance, was named URC Player of the Round.
A five-point return for Munster would set them up nicely for the following week’s showdown with Leinster in Croke Park.
