How Munster went from struggling to secure European rugby to a URC Final | WEDNESDAY NIGHT RUGBY

Munster have turned their season around, from being unlikely to have a top eight URC finish to taking part in the grand final, and Graham Rowntree and his coaching staff deserve all the credit.

This was the sentiment shared by former Munster front rowers Fiona Hayes and Keith Wood.

Munster’s start to their first season under Graham Rowntree could hardly have gone worse. With three wins from their opening eight matches, all at home, the traveling Munster side lost to the likes of Cardiff, Dragons, Leinster and Connacht on the road, and narrowly lost to Ulster at home.

The first half of the season was so poor that many began to question whether Munster would even qualify for the Champions Cup, let alone challenge for any sort of silverware this season.

However, throughout the struggling beginnings under a largely new coaching staff and system, the call was always for patience.

Now, as the men in red sit in their accommodation in Cape Town, ready to tackle the storm that awaits them in South Africa’s Mother City, they have well and truly turned their season around, and could become the first non-South African team to lift the URC trophy.

How Munster turned their season around

Speaking on Wednesday Night Rugby, former Munster and Ireland prop Fiona Hayes recalled the start to their season, and the rhetoric coming out of the coaching staff, including Rowntree