A couple of years ago, they were a strong leading team in Europe. Eleven of their players were Six Nations’ champions in 2009 - remember Ronan O’Gara? Peter Stringer? Or Paul O’Connell? All part of this Irish success: their second Grand Slam. Well, these are good memories. But in the past few years, this Munster was struggling to get back to the top. On the European front for instance, the last time they played a final was in 2008 - and they won to Toulouse.
So, it was about time that one the most prestigious Irish team was back to the top.
An up and down season
This is a great sum-up of Munster’s 2023 season: ups and downs.
Seven rounds in the tournament and they had only two wins. Quite a small ratio. At one point, the Irish province was fourteenth in the ranking table. But thanks to a strong finish of the season, they made it to the finals. A win away in South Africa to the Stormers (24-26) and a draw to the Sharks (22-22): two crucial wins to qualify for the knockout stage after finishing fifth overall. Was it the impact of Graham Rowntree, coach since the year before? Could be.
But what was to come wasn’t really a walk in the park, by any means! Munster dealt pretty easily with Glasgow Warriors in the quarter-finals, defeating them away from home (5-14). And then, it was another tricky game to come - still away from their bases, against solid fellow Irishmen from Leinster.
A drop goal, two minutes before the end of the match by Jack Crowley, gave Munster the win (15-16). Isn’t he a worthy successor to ROG? With an incredible end against the two-time European Rugby Champions Cup finalist, they reach the Grand final and yet, who would have bet on them?
With four wins away from home after an almost disastrous start of the season, they made it to the end - if that’s not a crazy happy ending, then what is? Yet, Crowley’s teammates had one last step. One final chapter of their story to write down.
What an ending show !
Twelve years without a win, although they had three shots to make it. In 2015, 2017 and 2021, Munster had reached the last step without any success.
So, this May 27, 2023, the stakes were up high for the Irishmen. For the SA team as well, truth be told. Proof is: three hours after going on sale, the game was sold out at the Cape Town DHL Stadium. This final was going to be huge with more than 56,000 people who made it to that special day. A full stadium for a showpiece match. Actually, the most crowded stadium ever for any DHL Sortmers game, with 5,000 travelling Irish fans.
The home side got up and running early on, as Manie Libbok intercepted and raced to the line to score the opening try. But with a yellow card for No 8 Evan Roos, the SA team got in danger and had to defend: he was yellow-carded for deliberate offside. Munster leading 2 tries to one and scoring 74 from John Hodnett the try of the victory converted by Jack Crowley.
It was a hard fought final. Juste like we enjoy them. A game that could have gone either way and was in the balance until the very end. The Irish did just enough, right at the end, to defeat the defending champion (19-14) to claim a title they hadn’t won since 2011.
