Graham Rowntree cut a bitterly disappointed and frustrated figure as he reflected on a Champions Cup win that got away from his side. Munster appeared to be well set for a maximum five-point haul after securing a fourth try by the 50th minute to lead Exeter 24-13 only to concede a quick-fire double and also a contentious intercept try with the last play of the game.
“It’s never over, is it? The game’s never over,” said the Munster head coach. “We did some great things, scored some cracking tries, got the four-try bonus point doing some good things. I’d reiterate that – we did some pretty good things tonight.
“But some things just got away from us. They got away from us. I’m really frustrated with the last try, the circumstances around that. Their third try was just crazy, against the run of play.
“We turned around at half time, didn’t change much tactically. Our kicking game wasn’t as strong but I’m really frustrated with those last two tries we conceded against a great team.
“I’m hugely frustrated,” he said, not just once, but several times. For all their misgivings about Exeter’s fourth try by Henry Slade which restricted Munster to just an offensive bonus point, they will also rue their own errors and lack of composure in that final quarter.
“We didn’t take our foot off the pedal, it’s just the circumstances around our composure,” admitted Rowntree. “You look at the lineout at the end there, we try to move the ball off that and Conor unfortunately knocks the ball on. Those moments.
“Beaten in the air a couple of times. We’ll have a look at that. We did some good things. It’s a tough place to come but we got our game going, got on top of them. There’s a couple of penalties around the middle of the field for six of their points that I’d like to have another look at. John Hodnett over the ball at the end of the first half and the one at the start of the second half. That brings the scoreline close, gives them a bit more belief. That happens, you’ve got to roll on but you have to take your chances when you can.
“We’ll come in Tuesday and have a look at it. We’ve got a massive game against Leinster next week [on St Stephen’s Day] at Thomond Park and then Connacht in an interprovincial, then we’re back into Europe and we’ll see how the cards fall.
“In that final round, we’ve got Saints at home in the middle of January. We’ll see where we’re at. We’ve got to go to Toulon, that will be brilliant. What a stadium to go, to to play a game of rugby. What a challenge for us in Toulon. Then Saints and at the end of that game, we’ll see where we are as group.”
This defeat compounds how Munster also let slip a winning position in their sloppy draw at home to Bayonne, and leaves them fifth in Pool 3, some six points behind Northampton and Exeter. A home Round of 16 tie now looks a very tall ask, and they still have work to do reach the knock-out stages.
“We are the world’s specialists at leaving ourselves a tough job and making things hard for ourselves. Factually, the world leaders in making life tough for ourselves. We’ll deal with that when it comes.
“So much good stuff tonight in our game, both sides of the ball, then it just got away from us in that last quarter. I don’t think it’s a fitness thing, I don’t think it’s a tactical thing or a substitution thing. You just look at the moment we’ve got to be better in. That’s all I’ve got for you.”
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