Munster head coach Graham Rowntree was left feeling ‘unbelievably proud’ of his side despite suffering a 27-13 defeat to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.
Rowntree’s men rode their luck early on but survived the initial Leinster onslaught to take the lead through Joey Carbery in the first half. And despite being down to 14-men after Jean Kleyn’s yellow card, a Liam Coombes try had Munster in front just after half time.
But Leinster bounced back instantly through a Dan Sheehan try before Luke McGrath and Rob Russell tagged on another couple of tries to make the scoreline look a bit more comfortable. Despite fading in the second half, Rowntree was delighted with much of his side’s performance.
“I'm proud of the lads, I just told them there, it’s a sombre mood in there, some young men that wanted to do better.
“I thought they deserved better than the scoreline.
“I’m proud of them. I asked them for fight. Get off the floor and keep fighting. I asked them to be brave and they did that.
“And as I say again I thought they deserved more from that game, managed the yellow cards quite well, it was a tight game at half time.
“ We had a raft of injuries which didn’t help momentum.
“And then a couple of key opportunities when we gave them access to our 22 and they’re exceptional there."
Munster only trailed by a point at half-time. And at the break, Rowntree and his coaching ticket spoke about the need for the players to remain calm in the second half.
“Always require a degree of patience and calmness at half time, that was the main message.
“There were a few elements around our ruck that we had to improve on, but tactically and calmness were the main things."
Ravaged by injury, Graham Rowntree had to name a side full of inexperienced players. Five Munster players made their first starts at the Aviva stadium on Saturday evening, and Rowntree believes Leinster’s familiarity under the bright lights helped them get over the line.
“They’ve a bit of experience there compared to ours. Tight game wasn’t it. Tight margins at the end there when we were on their line.
"You can't deny the experience they have on the field there compared to ours, but that’s where we are.
"That’s the situation and we’ll drive through it."
While the performance was decent, the fact remains that Munster have still won only twice this season, and Rowntree admits that this leaves his side in a difficult situation.
“It does (Leave us in a tough position) that’s undeniable.
“But we drive on and keep improving. I’m seeing elements of our game coming through, elements of how we’re training coming through as with last week. We keep driving that an look at what we can do better.
“It's been challenging, injury list has been mounting. Everyone gets injuries and I’m not blaming that, it’s a fact.
“There’s a lot of young men there having to step up and they’re learning and they’ll be better for it.
“A lot of young men that will be better for it."
Even with a loss, the 51-year-old is confident that performing in front of 45,000 will benefit his youngsters in the long run.
“What an experience, that what it’s about, they’ll learn a lot from that. I can’t tell you how much I’m proud of the lads.
“They’re very sombre in there now.
“We keep driving, keep training, and keep improving."
READ NEXT:
Jurgen Klopp makes brutally honest Liverpool admission after Nottingham Forest defeat
FIFA Women's World Cup draw: Ireland to face Australia, Canada and Nigeria
Leitrim hurler Zak Moradi praised for 'Great' Late Late Show interview
Shane Lowry forced to drive one hour to buy replacement putter after breaking club at CJ Cup
Conor McGregor leaves followers concerned after late night voice message
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
