Grahamunster - Graham Rowntree's Munster 2022/2023

[Theleinsterlad]

Wouldnt be known for supporting anything much to do with Munster, but I found myself watching the gane and feeling surprisingly pleased for them all at the end.

Stormers were muck, as was the pitch. But Munster were genuinely good, in control for nearly all of it. Snyman makes a massive difference. They can then play Beirne at 6 and suddenly its a v good pack. Kudos to Loughman for a meteoric rise this year too.

For me, the big jump in quality of play is most seen in the centre. Antoine has brought a breath of Frisch air to the 13 spot and Fekitoa - having decided tonplay all of a sudden - has been sensational the last couple of games.

Lots of young quality elsewhere - love me some Nash - but the centre partnership has let them expand their game hugely.

It'd be natural to want to compare how Munster fronted up vs how Leinster did last week, but the truth is LAR's performance was leagues better than the Cape boys, in all aspects. So let's stick with looking at each game on its merits and giving Munster some credit for a pretty incredible run-in.

Loughman must be pushing Healy now
Barron pushing Herring
Kleyn pushing Treadwell/Joe
Hodnett pushing Timoney/Connors
Crowley pushing Ross
Frisch pushing Frawley
Nash pushing Larmour
Haley pushing JOB
Daly pushing Stockdale

I’d have nash ahead of larmour

[jezzer]

Wouldnt be known for supporting anything much to do with Munster, but I found myself watching the gane and feeling surprisingly pleased for them all at the end.

Stormers were muck, as was the pitch. But Munster were genuinely good, in control for nearly all of it. Snyman makes a massive difference. They can then play Beirne at 6 and suddenly its a v good pack. Kudos to Loughman for a meteoric rise this year too.

For me, the big jump in quality of play is most seen in the centre. Antoine has brought a breath of Frisch air to the 13 spot and Fekitoa - having decided tonplay all of a sudden - has been sensational the last couple of games.

Lots of young quality elsewhere - love me some Nash - but the centre partnership has let them expand their game hugely.

It'd be natural to want to compare how Munster fronted up vs how Leinster did last week, but the truth is LAR's performance was leagues better than the Cape boys, in all aspects. So let's stick with looking at each game on its merits and giving Munster some credit for a pretty incredible run-in.

Loughman must be pushing Healy now
Barron pushing Herring
Kleyn pushing Treadwell/Joe
Hodnett pushing Timoney/Connors
Crowley pushing Ross
Frisch pushing Frawley
Nash pushing Larmour
Haley pushing JOB
Daly pushing Stockdale

I’d have nash ahead of larmour

So would I. I was more thinking Faz' pecking order...

[jezzer]

The Stormers did wild low chance chips and crossfield kicks, very unlike a typical final.

I think they weren't prepared for how cagey and tactical NH finals usually are, and were punished for it.

Libbock is basically bargain-barrel Dupont. Capable of incredible individual plays and the whole Stormers gameplan seems to centre around him and his antics, but unlike Dupont he's very error prone, liable to lose confidence/momentum and put his team on the back foot. If he can get over that psychological hump, Stormers and SA could have a gem. If not, he's kind of a liability as long as he features so heavily.

[enby]

I think Crowley has been excellent in the last few weeks. I would pick him over Ross. Unless he can do the odd nixer at 2, Loughman will probably remain behind Church. Nash and Balacoune to fight it out for winger. The rest of them still way back although, I cannot believe I'm saying this, Archer must come into consideration after his outstanding 6 weeks

[riocard911]

I think Crowley has been excellent in the last few weeks. I would pick him over Ross. Unless he can do the odd nixer at 2, Loughman will probably remain behind Church. Nash and Balacoune to fight it out for winger. The rest of them still way back although, I cannot believe I'm saying this, Archer must come into consideration after his outstanding 6 weeks

I cannot believe you're saying it either!!!

[MylesNaGapoleen]

Brilliant win for Munster! outstanding stuff. delighted for them. this has so many positives....they are playing more like a leinster style of ruugby, so there's a better fit with the Irish style. More munster players starting for Ireland will ease the pressure on us and overall, for Irish rugby it's, hopefully, the dawn of a new age for Munster.

I never really got the erasmus or van grann approach. Rowntree appears to have got things moving there.

funny, isn't it? all the rejects after the 2015 world cup have had a major impact on Irish rugby...Lancaster via leinster, Andy Farrell via Ireland and now Rowntree at Miunster.

[Blueberry]

The Stormers did wild low chance chips and crossfield kicks, very unlike a typical final.

I think they weren't prepared for how cagey and tactical NH finals usually are, and were punished for it.

Libbock is basically bargain-barrel Dupont. Capable of incredible individual plays and the whole Stormers gameplan seems to centre around him and his antics, but unlike Dupont he's very error prone, liable to lose confidence/momentum and put his team on the back foot. If he can get over that psychological hump, Stormers and SA could have a gem. If not, he's kind of a liability as long as he features so heavily.

Looks like a bargain basement Finn Russell to me. For every moment of genius there are three howlers.............

[ronk]

funny, isn't it? all the rejects after the 2015 world cup have had a major impact on Irish rugby...Lancaster via leinster, Andy Farrell via Ireland and now Rowntree at Miunster.

Mike Catt doesn't get nearly enough credit.

[deco]

Well done Munster, fabulous win.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

funny, isn't it? all the rejects after the 2015 world cup have had a major impact on Irish rugby...Lancaster via leinster, Andy Farrell via Ireland and now Rowntree at Miunster.

Mike Catt doesn't get nearly enough credit.

you're right, of course. I should have mentioned Mike Catt.

Can't help but wonder if they have a point to prove and would love to win a world cup with Ireland. here's hoping.

[berliner]

Saying I’m delighted doesn’t go far enough for how I feel right now.
Munster’s season was like a movie script with the appointment of a new coaching ticket who hadn’t worked together in the past, with not one of them having head coach experience.

The easy thing for that ticket to do would be to stick with the old game plan and gradually introduce their own style of play, but instead they ripped up the playbook and started from scratch.
Following the start that Munster had, they were questioned and ridiculed from all corners.

The unplanned Ireland A tour hit Munster really hard.
Munster have gone through a massive overhaul of their squad, and do not have significant depth just yet. That tour took the core group of players away from Munster at a time when they were trying to implement their game plan.

But, following the Much debated game against SA, Munster turned a corner. The kids, devoid of their international team mates gave SA A a good beating while playing a great brand of rugby.
From there Munster managed to slowly work their way up the table, taking a reasonable number of bonus points along the way, and ended the regular season with in the playoffs, qualified for the HC and building the best defence in the league.

Munster had 6 hard games on the road, each of which they were the underdogs, and won all bar 1.

The rollercoaster season is what makes this victory all the more special, the team appear galvanised, they look like they are a solid group who would gladly go into battle with eachother.

To lose POM as early as they did, and what was a very pivotal point of the game was never going to be easy. He is a warrior and a leader. But Munster showed that they have leadership across the team. Beirne really stood up in this aspect, as did RG and Hodnett imo.
Crowley looks like a future leader. He is an extremely vocal 10, and leads by example, despite his youth and relative inexperience.

This team is at the beginning of their journey. They have a very young squad, which is built around a strong core of homegrown talent who are learning game after game.

I suspect given the conservative nature of the Irish selection that not many of the players who played so well over the last few weeks will have forced their way into realistic selection contention.
This, while it will be a personal blow for the Munster players, the flip side of that is that most of the squad will be available for a full preseason. This can only be good for Munster.

Congratulations!!!

Likewise, munster#1, congratulations and enjoy it fully, you are one of 'the brave and the faithful' and we do not begrudge your reward. The eternal provincial ribbing will recommence soon, but that shouldn't cloud the fact that there is much sincere satisfaction from outside of Munster's ranks at this success.

[MylesNaGapoleen]

I think Crowley has been excellent in the last few weeks. I would pick him over Ross. Unless he can do the odd nixer at 2, Loughman will probably remain behind Church. Nash and Balacoune to fight it out for winger. The rest of them still way back although, I cannot believe I'm saying this, Archer must come into consideration after his outstanding 6 weeks

Munster win is brilliant for a few reasons:

#1 In the semi final..they showed that they are aspiring to play rugby the "leinster way". This is a better fit to the Irish way.
#2 It gives Irish Rugby a boost in the run up to the WC
#3 More munster players SHOULD be in the Irish squad and starting. This will reduce the pressure on Leinster. For the last few seasons, we have suffered terribly from end-of-season injuries & fatigue after the 6N.

Ireland Abu!

[riocard911]

There is however one potentially concerning aspect which springs to my mind on foot of Munster's victory vs the Stormers in the URC Grand Final, to wit R. G. Sneyman has arisen from his long, unfortunate injury series and looks ready and able to cause havoc at the RWC in France incl. vs the BIG. Hmmm.......

[leinsterforever]

Wouldnt be known for supporting anything much to do with Munster, but I found myself watching the gane and feeling surprisingly pleased for them all at the end.

Stormers were muck, as was the pitch. But Munster were genuinely good, in control for nearly all of it. Snyman makes a massive difference. They can then play Beirne at 6 and suddenly its a v good pack. Kudos to Loughman for a meteoric rise this year too.

For me, the big jump in quality of play is most seen in the centre. Antoine has brought a breath of Frisch air to the 13 spot and Fekitoa - having decided tonplay all of a sudden - has been sensational the last couple of games.

Lots of young quality elsewhere - love me some Nash - but the centre partnership has let them expand their game hugely.

It'd be natural to want to compare how Munster fronted up vs how Leinster did last week, but the truth is LAR's performance was leagues better than the Cape boys, in all aspects. So let's stick with looking at each game on its merits and giving Munster some credit for a pretty incredible run-in.

Loughman must be pushing Healy now
Barron pushing Herring
Kleyn pushing Treadwell/Joe
Hodnett pushing Timoney/Connors
Crowley pushing Ross
Frisch pushing Frawley
Nash pushing Larmour
Haley pushing JOB
Daly pushing Stockdale

I'd exempt Haley from that list. Good as he is going forward on many occasions, his bad games are terrible.

His acceleration isn't good enough, for me.

It's hard to not be enthused by a team playing such excellent rugby. I found it pretty amusing watching Munster get outclassed and fall over over the last few years; but the're back in a big way now.

The heavyweights in Europe next season? La Rochelle, Leinster, Toulouse, Munster, Saracens, Racing (because of Lancaster's influence). Maybe the Stormers too, but they'll probably be handicapped by all the travel.

[deco]

Wouldnt be known for supporting anything much to do with Munster, but I found myself watching the gane and feeling surprisingly pleased for them all at the end.

Stormers were muck, as was the pitch. But Munster were genuinely good, in control for nearly all of it. Snyman makes a massive difference. They can then play Beirne at 6 and suddenly its a v good pack. Kudos to Loughman for a meteoric rise this year too.

For me, the big jump in quality of play is most seen in the centre. Antoine has brought a breath of Frisch air to the 13 spot and Fekitoa - having decided tonplay all of a sudden - has been sensational the last couple of games.

Lots of young quality elsewhere - love me some Nash - but the centre partnership has let them expand their game hugely.

It'd be natural to want to compare how Munster fronted up vs how Leinster did last week, but the truth is LAR's performance was leagues better than the Cape boys, in all aspects. So let's stick with looking at each game on its merits and giving Munster some credit for a pretty incredible run-in.

Loughman must be pushing Healy now
Barron pushing Herring
Kleyn pushing Treadwell/Joe
Hodnett pushing Timoney/Connors
Crowley pushing Ross
Frisch pushing Frawley
Nash pushing Larmour
Haley pushing JOB
Daly pushing Stockdale

I'd exempt Haley from that list. Good as he is going forward on many occasions, his bad games are terrible.

His acceleration isn't good enough, for me.

It's hard to not be enthused by a team playing such excellent rugby. I found it pretty amusing watching Munster get outclassed and fall over over the last few years; but the're back in a big way now.

The heavyweights in Europe next season? La Rochelle, Leinster, Toulouse, Munster, Saracens, Racing (because of Lancaster's influence). Maybe the Stormers too, but they'll probably be handicapped by all the travel.

Steady now

[leinsterforever]

I'd exempt Haley from that list. Good as he is going forward on many occasions, his bad games are terrible.

His acceleration isn't good enough, for me.

It's hard to not be enthused by a team playing such excellent rugby. I found it pretty amusing watching Munster get outclassed and fall over over the last few years; but the're back in a big way now.

The heavyweights in Europe next season? La Rochelle, Leinster, Toulouse, Munster, Saracens, Racing (because of Lancaster's influence). Maybe the Stormers too, but they'll probably be handicapped by all the travel.

Steady now

They're playing quality rugby, aren't they? They won the URC, which is a higher-quality league than the Premiership if you ask me.

Usually there are 2-3 French teams who are real European Cup heavyweights. The rest focus on the Top 14.

Munster have added a cutting edge to their physicality and stubborness. They're much more of a challenge now for any team to handle.

[munster#1]

Saying I’m delighted doesn’t go far enough for how I feel right now.
Munster’s season was like a movie script with the appointment of a new coaching ticket who hadn’t worked together in the past, with not one of them having head coach experience.

The easy thing for that ticket to do would be to stick with the old game plan and gradually introduce their own style of play, but instead they ripped up the playbook and started from scratch.
Following the start that Munster had, they were questioned and ridiculed from all corners.

The unplanned Ireland A tour hit Munster really hard.
Munster have gone through a massive overhaul of their squad, and do not have significant depth just yet. That tour took the core group of players away from Munster at a time when they were trying to implement their game plan.

But, following the Much debated game against SA, Munster turned a corner. The kids, devoid of their international team mates gave SA A a good beating while playing a great brand of rugby.
From there Munster managed to slowly work their way up the table, taking a reasonable number of bonus points along the way, and ended the regular season with in the playoffs, qualified for the HC and building the best defence in the league.

Munster had 6 hard games on the road, each of which they were the underdogs, and won all bar 1.

The rollercoaster season is what makes this victory all the more special, the team appear galvanised, they look like they are a solid group who would gladly go into battle with eachother.

To lose POM as early as they did, and what was a very pivotal point of the game was never going to be easy. He is a warrior and a leader. But Munster showed that they have leadership across the team. Beirne really stood up in this aspect, as did RG and Hodnett imo.
Crowley looks like a future leader. He is an extremely vocal 10, and leads by example, despite his youth and relative inexperience.

This team is at the beginning of their journey. They have a very young squad, which is built around a strong core of homegrown talent who are learning game after game.

I suspect given the conservative nature of the Irish selection that not many of the players who played so well over the last few weeks will have forced their way into realistic selection contention.
This, while it will be a personal blow for the Munster players, the flip side of that is that most of the squad will be available for a full preseason. This can only be good for Munster.

Congratulations!!!

Likewise, munster#1, congratulations and enjoy it fully, you are one of 'the brave and the faithful' and we do not begrudge your reward. The eternal provincial ribbing will recommence soon, but that shouldn't cloud the fact that there is much sincere satisfaction from outside of Munster's ranks at this success.

Thanks Buddy.
I am enjoying it fully. What made the occasion all the better is that my son watched the match with me. First time in his life that Munster won some silverware, and he hasn’t stopped talking about the game.

In relation to the provincial ribbing, I can honestly say that the level of support that Munster have received from all corners of the country is inspiring and very much appreciated, but I’ve no doubt that that will change once the 23/24 season starts.

[ronk]

They're playing quality rugby, aren't they? They won the URC, which is a higher-quality league than the Premiership if you ask me.

Usually there are 2-3 French teams who are real European Cup heavyweights. The rest focus on the Top 14.

Munster have added a cutting edge to their physicality and stubborness. They're much more of a challenge now for any team to handle.

Munster are the 8th team to win a URC in the last 12 years. Only 1 of the others are European heavyweights.

Ospreys, Scarlets, Glasgow, Connacht, Treviso, Stormers.

This year Munster were 24 points off 1st place and needed a win in South Africa to cling onto Heineken Cup qualification. They limped through the Heineken Cup and went out easily in the last 16 to a team that finished below them in URC.

They were fully expected to struggle in the knockouts but turned over Glasgow, who'd beaten them soundly in Thomond and had just won a European semi, Leinster's 2nds and the Stormers who celebrated wildly when they found out they were playing Munster and weren't used to NH knockout rugby, especially against a team with the travellingsupport of Munster. All close matches that could easily have gone the other way and all to teams that think they should have done better.

Munster have improved and earned their trophy, I'm happy they did it. The taste of success will lead to more improvement and their fans should savour the moment. They'll be a tougher proposition next season, but teams will be more ready for them.

There's an element of hyperbole that often follows Munster, and it gets out of hand quickly. The travel was hard but their fixture list opened up much better than it looked at first. They were able to target 2 teams who were looking at 5 knockout games in a row. Hardly heavyweight stuff.

Munster are a team that have relied on big performances from key players, and that works against them a little in a RWC year. Already they're down Fekitoa and Healy (& probably Earls), they'll be seriously light at halfback and international release could get more painful. They're exposed to age in a few positions and while they look to be developing fast enough, they may find their depth challenged. 6 players 33 or older is a lot, and it goes to 7 with Ryan if none of them go.

Leinster will have 1 assuming Healy stays.

[leinsterforever]

They're playing quality rugby, aren't they? They won the URC, which is a higher-quality league than the Premiership if you ask me.

Usually there are 2-3 French teams who are real European Cup heavyweights. The rest focus on the Top 14.

Munster have added a cutting edge to their physicality and stubborness. They're much more of a challenge now for any team to handle.

Munster are the 8th team to win a URC in the last 12 years. Only 1 of the others are European heavyweights.

Ospreys, Scarlets, Glasgow, Connacht, Treviso, Stormers.

This year Munster were 24 points off 1st place and needed a win in South Africa to cling onto Heineken Cup qualification. They limped through the Heineken Cup and went out easily in the last 16 to a team that finished below them in URC.

They were fully expected to struggle in the knockouts but turned over Glasgow, who'd beaten them soundly in Thomond and had just won a European semi, Leinster's 2nds and the Stormers who celebrated wildly when they found out they were playing Munster and weren't used to NH knockout rugby, especially against a team with the travellingsupport of Munster. All close matches that could easily have gone the other way and all to teams that think they should have done better.

Munster have improved and earned their trophy, I'm happy they did it. The taste of success will lead to more improvement and their fans should savour the moment. They'll be a tougher proposition next season, but teams will be more ready for them.

There's an element of hyperbole that often follows Munster, and it gets out of hand quickly. The travel was hard but their fixture list opened up much better than it looked at first. They were able to target 2 teams who were looking at 5 knockout games in a row. Hardly heavyweight stuff.

Munster are a team that have relied on big performances from key players, and that works against them a little in a RWC year. Already they're down Fekitoa and Healy (& probably Earls), they'll be seriously light at halfback and international release could get more painful. They're exposed to age in a few positions and while they look to be developing fast enough, they may find their depth challenged. 6 players 33 or older is a lot, and it goes to 7 with Ryan if none of them go.

Leinster will have 1 assuming Healy stays.

Fair points.

[ustix]

They're playing quality rugby, aren't they? They won the URC, which is a higher-quality league than the Premiership if you ask me.

Usually there are 2-3 French teams who are real European Cup heavyweights. The rest focus on the Top 14.

Munster have added a cutting edge to their physicality and stubborness. They're much more of a challenge now for any team to handle.

Munster are the 8th team to win a URC in the last 12 years. Only 1 of the others are European heavyweights.

Ospreys, Scarlets, Glasgow, Connacht, Treviso, Stormers.

This year Munster were 24 points off 1st place and needed a win in South Africa to cling onto Heineken Cup qualification. They limped through the Heineken Cup and went out easily in the last 16 to a team that finished below them in URC.

They were fully expected to struggle in the knockouts but turned over Glasgow, who'd beaten them soundly in Thomond and had just won a European semi, Leinster's 2nds and the Stormers who celebrated wildly when they found out they were playing Munster and weren't used to NH knockout rugby, especially against a team with the travellingsupport of Munster. All close matches that could easily have gone the other way and all to teams that think they should have done better.

Munster have improved and earned their trophy, I'm happy they did it. The taste of success will lead to more improvement and their fans should savour the moment. They'll be a tougher proposition next season, but teams will be more ready for them.

There's an element of hyperbole that often follows Munster, and it gets out of hand quickly. The travel was hard but their fixture list opened up much better than it looked at first. They were able to target 2 teams who were looking at 5 knockout games in a row. Hardly heavyweight stuff.

Munster are a team that have relied on big performances from key players, and that works against them a little in a RWC year. Already they're down Fekitoa and Healy (& probably Earls), they'll be seriously light at halfback and international release could get more painful. They're exposed to age in a few positions and while they look to be developing fast enough, they may find their depth challenged. 6 players 33 or older is a lot, and it goes to 7 with Ryan if none of them go.

Leinster will have 1 assuming Healy stays.

Fair points.

This one is a wee bit weak:

especially against a team with the travellingsupport of Munster.