Ask Munster Rugby coach Graham Rowntree what he is aiming for in the BKT URC this time around and he delivers a swift response.
“I would like to go a week further than last season, that would be a good start,” he replies.
Munster’s defence of their league crown ended at the penultimate hurdle back in June when they lost 17-10 to eventual champions Glasgow Warriors in the semi-final.
They had been strong favourites going into the Thomond Park clash, given they had won ten games on the trot and had the benefit of home advantage.
“It was hugely disappointing,” admits Rowntree.
“In big games, in big moments, you’ve got to take your opportunities and we didn’t.
“We failed to take some chances in key areas of the game and you can’t do that in knockout rugby.
“But I don’t want to take anything away from Glasgow on the night.
“Crikey, they were a handful everywhere across the field. They were tenacious all night around the breakdown. They are a very tough team to play against, as evidenced by their performance in the final.”
As for how they handled the surprise defeat, Rowntree said: “We dealt with that very quickly.
“After a ten-game winning run to finish top of the log, we lost one game by seven points. It can happen. Anything can happen on the night.
“We took some learnings from it, banked that and we will keep driving forward.
“There’s not a lot wrong with what we’ve achieved and what we are doing.
“We’ve just got to be better in certain areas of the game and better in the heat of the moment.”
Pre-season has been a bit of a bumpy ride in terms of results with a 24-21 defeat away to Bath followed by a 33-19 loss at home to Gloucester.
“We have had a couple of good tests,” said former Leicester and England prop Rowntree.
“We could have, should have won the game at Bath and then we had a real good punch on the nose by Gloucester, where we were trying a few things, a few players out of position.
“We got caught out by some very good set-piece attack and we weren’t quite right for the game, contact-wise.
“After sulking on it for three days, I am glad it happened. It’s given us a kick up the backside.
“We have got work to do, but I don’t mind that. It will keep us grounded.
“Pre-season games are there to get you battle hardened. There’s nothing like a big unit running down your channel and you’ve got to make a decision
“We’ve shown the lads some pretty simple pictures and I’m certain it won’t happen again.”
Munster kick off their BKT URC campaign by playing hosts to Connacht Rugby in Limerick on Saturday evening.
That will be a big fixture for wing Diarmuid Kilgallen and centre Tom Farrell who have both come on board from the Galway-based outfit, while fly-half Billy Burns has also switched provinces, arriving from Ulster Rugby in the wake of Joey Carbery’s departure for Bordeaux.
Summarising the challenges that lie ahead, Rowntree concluded: “We are still advancing. We are still not as good as we can be consistently with this group of players.
“We have changed how we are playing the game. We are not there yet. It’s my job to keep pushing that to keep getting us better.
“I would like to go a week further than last season, that would be a good start. As a boring former English prop would say, we will take it week by week. There you go.”
