After a home defeat to Glasgow in the URC opener, Munster coach Clayton McMillan outlined positives from a mixed performance and outlined the challenge of winning back supporters amid injuries and a tough run of fixtures.
Munster lost at Thomond Park to Glasgow but secured a losing bonus point and showed encouraging attacking and scrum phases.
Young scrum-half Ben O’Donovan impressed on his first Munster start and is noted as an important depth addition after a full pre-season.
Munster opened their new URC season at Thomond Park and lost to Glasgow Warriors. The match drew just over 11,000 supporters — noticeably fewer than recent opening-home fixtures — and Munster left with a losing bonus point rather than a win.
The game was mixed. Munster produced slick attacking play and a strong scrum during an encouraging first half. They lost momentum in the second half, and Glasgow capitalised as substitutions shifted the contest. McMillan emphasised there are "green shoots" in areas targeted over the summer: scrum, maul, phase play and attack. He rejected any complacent, glass-half-full reading — Munster need wins at home in this competition — but believes the positives can be built on.
A clear individual highlight was scrum-half Ben O'Donovan. The 21-year-old, who joined Munster on an academy contract in February and earned a senior deal in the summer, made his first start for the province. McMillan described O'Donovan as a product of the New Zealand pathway with Ireland qualification through his father. He arrived slightly underdone last year but completed a full preseason, and McMillan expects his running game and tempo to become more prominent with more matches.
Munster face a demanding run of fixtures that will test any progress made in Limerick. The combination of key injuries and strong opposition means results in coming weeks will be important both for league position and for rebuilding supporter confidence. McMillan has framed the loss as containing positives to develop, but he also set clear expectations: win home games and improve consistency.
Saturday's match offered encouraging elements — improved scrum, phases of slick attack, and a promising young scrum-half — but Munster fell short of the result they wanted. Attendance figures underline the wider challenge the province faces in re-engaging a demoralised fan base while managing injuries and a hard fixture list. McMillan's message was pragmatic: there are signs to build on, but the team must convert those signs into wins to bring supporters back.
Clayton McMillan saw positives on a night that ended in a frustrating defeat.
Clayton McMillan took over at the province last summer and among his priorities starting out was an intention to raise the side’s floor rather than the bar.
Hope springs eternal that the club can turn a corner ahead of the new campaign, but head coach Clayton McMillan will need to negotiate some challenging terrain.
Clayton McMillan’s second season begins with injuries, new coaches and a daunting run of fixtures putting Munster under pressure
A crowd of 4,421 turned out for Munster’s final hit-out ahead of next Saturday’s URC opener with Glasgow Warriors.
Munster look likely to be battling for a play-off spot in the new URC season (Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images) The 2023 URC champions seem likely to find themselves fighting for a play-off berth. The 2023 URC champions seem likely to find themselves fighting for a play-off berth.
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