Munster skipper Peter O’Mahony praised his side’s resilience and skill set after they came back to beat the Stormers 19-14 to win the United Rugby Championship (URC) title in Cape Town.
The Stormers led the game until late on when John Hodnett crossed for the all important try with five minutes to play before Jack Crowley converted from the touchline.
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Proud of his team
The Irishman was delighted with how his team did on the night, playing well on a tricky surface and with a wet ball in front of a sell-out crowd.
“We performed well in the first half, and we probably should have been a couple more scores up, but credit the Stormers – their defence was excellent,” O’Mahony told URC TV.
“We showed incredible resilience and skills to score a well-worked try with five minutes to go. It was a tough surface and tough conditions with a wet ball.
“We went behind but we stuck to our guns. We got back into it and the last five minutes were class.”
Meanwhile, Hodnett admitted that the fact Munster are champions had not sunk in.
“It is some win for us. It’s massive, a whole year of work, and it is unbelievable to win it and say we are champions,” he said.
“We kept going and never gave up. It’s huge for us and hasn’t at all sunk in.”
Munster boss Graham Rowntree praised the grit his team have shown at the back end of the tournament, particularly away from home.
“We needed to show huge character. What a team this Stormers team is. We had to be good and we played well in the first half,” Rowntree said.
“We stuck in there, we showed good fight and I am immensely proud of the players. We’ve been to some tough places on the road recently and showed character.
“The momentum that gave us, going away from home, winning games, it’s exactly what you need to win a game like this one and we did it.”
Credit to Munster
It was not the farewell Stormers captain Steven Kitshoff hoped for before he leaves to Ulster but he credited Munster for their performance.
“Munster put us under a lot of pressure and scored some great tries. I am so sorry we disappointed our supporters,” Kitshoff said.
“We couldn’t get our passes to stick but all credit to Munster.”