2018–19 Munster Rugby season

2018–19 Munster Rugby season
Ground(s)Thomond Park (Capacity: 25,600)[1]
Irish Independent Park (Capacity: 8,008)
Coach(es)Johann van Graan
Captain(s)Peter O'Mahony
Most appearancesArno Botha (27)
Top scorerJoey Carbery (154)
Most tries
Two players
League(s)Pro14
2018–192nd (Conf. A), Semi-finals
1st kit
2nd kit
← 2017–18 2019–20 →

The 2018–19 Munster Rugby season was Munster's eighteenth season competing in the Pro14, alongside which they also competed in the European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Johann van Graan's second season as head coach and his first full season in the role, having joined partway through the previous season.[2]

Events

[edit]

Munster played two pre-season fixtures ahead of the 2018–19 campaign, the first against London Irish, whose directory of rugby is former Munster and Ireland head coach Declan Kidney, and the second against Exeter Chiefs, which was the first meeting between the two clubs.[3] Munster beat London Irish 32–28, but lost 12–0 against Exeter Chiefs.[4][5]

Drawn alongside French Top 14 champions Castres and English sides Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester, Munster competed in pool 2 of the 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup.[6] Munster opened their 2018–19 Pro14 season with a six-try 38–0 victory against South African side Cheetahs in Thomond Park on 1 September 2018. Rory Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Tommy O'Donnell, JJ Hanrahan, Dave O'Callaghan and Man-of-the-Match Darren Sweetnam scored the tries, with Hanrahan adding four conversions, in a match that saw Arno Botha, Mike Haley, Joey Carbery and academy players Shane Daly and Gavin Coombes make their competitive debuts for the province, whilst Neil Cronin also made his first appearance for Munster since March 2015.[7]

Tadhg Beirne made his debut for Munster in the provinces 25–10 defeat away to Glasgow Warriors on 7 September 2018.[8] Munster's 64–7 win against Ulster on 29 September 2018 was a record win for the province in the Pro14; Munster's previous record win being 47–0 against Zebre in 2016.[9] In round one of the 2018–19 Champions Cup on 13 October 2018, a try from CJ Stander and five points from the boot of Joey Carbery secured a 10–10 draw in Sandy Park against Exeter Chiefs, in a match in which Dan Goggin and Neil Cronin made their competitive European debuts, whilst Tadhg Beirne, who was Man-of-the-Match, Mike Haley and Joey Carbery made their European debuts for Munster.[10] One week later, tries from Mike Haley, Rhys Marshall, Joey Carbery, who also kicked four conversions and one penalty in a Man-of-the-Match performance, Sammy Arnold and Andrew Conway helped Munster to a 36–22 bonus-point victory at home against Gloucester.[11]

In the December 2018 back-to-back Champions Cup fixtures against Castres, Munster won 30–5 in round 3 on 9 December, with tries from Rory Scannell, CJ Stander and JJ Hanrahan, who also scored 15 points off the kicking tee. In the return leg away to Castres on 15 December, the French side won 13–12, with Joey Carbery scoring all of Munster's points from penalties.[12][13] In round 5 of the Champions Cup, Munster beat Gloucester 41–15 away from home on 11 January 2019, with the tries coming from Joey Carbery (2), Rory Scannell, Keith Earls and Andrew Conway and 16 points of the kicking tee from Carbery.[14] In round 6, Munster beat Exeter Chiefs 9–7 in Thomond Park on 19 January 2019 to advance to a record 18th Champions Cup quarter-final. Joey Carbery scored all of Munster's points from penalties in a closely fought, physical game.[15] Munster defeated Edinburgh 17–13 in their quarter-final in Murrayfield Stadium on 30 March 2019 to advance to a 14th Champions Cup semi-final,[16] which Munster lost 32–16 to Saracens in the Ricoh Arena on 20 April 2019.[17]

Munster finished second in conference A in the 2018–19 Pro14 season, with 21 wins and 5 defeats,[18] and beat Italian side Benetton 15–13 in their quarter-final on 4 May 2019, to secure a semi-final against provincial rivals Leinster in the RDS on 18 May 2019.[19] which Leinster won 24–9, bringing to an end Munster's 2018–19 season.[20] During the season, Munster played 31 games, winning 22, losing 8 and drawing 1. The province scored 790 points, including 99 tries, in total, and had the best defensive record during the regular Pro14 season and Champions Cup pool stage, conceding an average of 12 points a game in the latter. In attack, Munster were the third highest try-scorers in the regular Pro14 season with 82 tries in 21 games.

Munster were unbeaten at home all season, winning 10 games in Thomond Park and 4 in Irish Independent Park, and featured in their 18th Champions Cup quarter-final and 14th semi-final, extending records for both. 55 players were used in total throughout the season across all competitions, with 37 of those having followed the Munster pathway into the professional game. 11 players made their debuts for the province: Tadhg Beirne, Arno Botha, Joey Carbery, Mike Haley and Alby Mathewson, as well as 6 academy players: Diarmuid Barron, Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Liam Coombes, Shane Daly and Alex McHenry. Stalwart in the second row Billy Holland became the 10th player to win 200 caps for the province, whilst Andrew Conway, JJ Hanrahan, Jack O'Donoghue and Rory Scannell all won their 100th caps for Munster, with Scannell becoming the youngest player to do at the age of 25. Mike Haley played more minutes than any other player during the season, racking up 1,876 in 26 starts.

Internationally, 13 Munster players represented Ireland during the season: Sammy Arnold, Tadhg Beirne, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Conor Murray, Peter O'Mahony, CJ Stander, Darren Sweetnam and John Ryan. 11 players were involved in the Ireland under-20s team that won a grand slam during the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship: Craig Casey, Seán French, Ben Healy, James McCarthy, Jonathan Wren and Josh Wycherley from the academy, and Jake Flannery, John Hodnett, Conor Phillips, Luke Masters and Billy Scannell were also involved.

There were 6 sell-out attendances during the season at Thomond Park and Irish Independent Park, with all 4 games at the latter selling-out for the first time. Attendance increased by 15% across the season, with a 10% rise in ticket sales. All 3 of Munster's home Champions Cup pool fixtures were the highest attendance for their respective rounds.[21]

Coaching and management Staff 2018–19

[edit]
Position Name Nationality
Head coach Johann van Graan  South Africa
Defence coach JP Ferreira  South Africa
Backs and attack Coach Felix Jones  Ireland
Forwards coach Jerry Flannery  Ireland
Team manager Niall O'Donovan  Ireland
Head of athletic performance Denis Logan  United States
Senior strength and conditioning coach Aidan O'Connell  Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach Adam Sheehan  Ireland
Strength and conditioning coach PJ Wilson  Ireland
Performance analyst George Murray  Ireland

Senior playing squad 2018–19

[edit]

Munster player movements for the 2018–19 season. For a full list, see List of 2018–19 Pro14 transfers.
(Player's name in italics indicates a transfer that took place during the course of the season)

The Munster senior squad for 2018–19 is:[38][a]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Rhys Marshall Hooker New Zealand New Zealand
Kevin O'Byrne Hooker Ireland Ireland
Niall Scannell Hooker Ireland Ireland
Mike Sherry[a] Hooker Ireland Ireland
Stephen Archer Prop Ireland Ireland
James Cronin Prop Ireland Ireland
Cronan Gleeson Prop Ireland Ireland
Dave Kilcoyne Prop Ireland Ireland
Jeremy Loughman Prop Ireland Ireland
Liam O'Connor Prop Ireland Ireland
Ciaran Parker* Prop England England
John Ryan Prop Ireland Ireland
Brian Scott Prop Ireland Ireland
Tadhg Beirne Lock Ireland Ireland
Billy Holland Lock Ireland Ireland
Jean Kleyn Lock South Africa South Africa
Darren O'Shea Lock Ireland Ireland
Fineen Wycherley Lock Ireland Ireland
Arno Botha Back row South Africa South Africa
Chris Cloete Back row South Africa South Africa
Dave O'Callaghan Back row Ireland Ireland
Tommy O'Donnell Back row Ireland Ireland
Jack O'Donoghue Back row Ireland Ireland
Conor Oliver Back row Ireland Ireland
Peter O'Mahony (c) Back row Ireland Ireland
CJ Stander Back row Ireland Ireland
Player Position Union
Neil Cronin Scrum-half Ireland Ireland
James Hart Scrum-half Ireland Ireland
Alby Mathewson Scrum-half New Zealand New Zealand
Conor Murray Scrum-half Ireland Ireland
Duncan Williams Scrum-half Ireland Ireland
Tyler Bleyendaal* Fly-half New Zealand New Zealand
Joey Carbery Fly-half Ireland Ireland
JJ Hanrahan Fly-half Ireland Ireland
Bill Johnston Fly-half Ireland Ireland
Ian Keatley Fly-half Ireland Ireland
Sammy Arnold Centre Ireland Ireland
Chris Farrell Centre Ireland Ireland
Dan Goggin Centre Ireland Ireland
Rory Scannell Centre Ireland Ireland
Jaco Taute Centre South Africa South Africa
Andrew Conway Wing Ireland Ireland
Keith Earls Wing Ireland Ireland
Calvin Nash Wing Ireland Ireland
Ronan O'Mahony Wing Ireland Ireland
Darren Sweetnam Wing Ireland Ireland
Alex Wootton Wing Ireland Ireland
Stephen Fitzgerald[a] Fullback Ireland Ireland
Mike Haley* Fullback England England
  • Internationally capped players in bold
  • Players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality *
  • Irish provinces are currently limited to four non-Irish eligible (NIE) players and one non-Irish qualified player (NIQ or "Project Player").[41]
  • Notes:
  1. ^ a b c Stephen Fitzgerald joined Connacht on a three-month loan in December 2018,[39] which was later extended until the end of the 2018–19 season.[40] Mike Sherry joined Gloucester on loan until the end of the 2018–19 season in March 2019.[40]

Pre-season

[edit]
17 August 2018
19:30
Munster Ireland32–28England London Irish
Report[42]
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 5,773
24 August 2018
19:30
Munster Ireland0–12England Exeter Chiefs
Report[43]
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 5,948

2018–19 Pro14

[edit]
Main article: 2018–19 Pro14
2018–19 Pro14 table view · watch · edit · discuss
Conference A
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Scotland Glasgow Warriors (RU) 21 16 0 5 621 380 +241 83 48 15 2 81
2 Ireland Munster (SF) 21 16 0 5 612 348 +264 82 44 11 2 77
3 Ireland Connacht (QF) 21 12 0 9 475 394 +81 60 55 7 6 61
4 Wales Ospreys (PO) 21 12 0 9 445 404 +41 53 47 6 4 58
5 Wales Cardiff Blues 21 10 0 11 497 451 +46 60 58 7 7 54
6 South Africa Cheetahs 21 8 1 12 541 606 −65 80 80 9 3 46
7 Italy Zebre 21 3 0 18 260 640 −380 35 85 5 2 19
Conference B
Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TBP LBP PTS
1 Ireland Leinster (CH) 21 15 1 5 672 385 +287 95 49 12 2 76
2 Ireland Ulster (SF) 21 13 2 6 441 424 +17 58 54 6 1 63
3 Italy Benetton (QF) 21 11 2 8 474 431 +43 62 55 6 3 57
4 Wales Scarlets 21 10 0 11 510 470 +40 68 54 7 5 52
5 Scotland Edinburgh 21 10 0 11 431 436 −5 52 59 6 5 51
6 Wales Dragons 21 5 1 15 339 599 −260 37 84 1 3 26
7 South Africa Southern Kings 21 2 1 18 385 735 −350 54 107 5 7 22
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order -[44]
  1. number of matches won
  2. the difference between points for and points against
  3. the number of tries scored
  4. the most points scored
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against
  6. the fewest red cards received
  7. the fewest yellow cards received

Green background indicates teams that compete in the Pro14 play-offs, and also earn a place in the 2019–20 European Champions Cup
(excluding South African teams who are ineligible)
Blue background indicates teams outside the play-off places that earn a place in the 2019–20 European Champions Cup
Yellow background indicates the loser of the play-off between the two fourth-ranked European teams in each conference, that earned a place in the 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Plain background indicates teams that earn a place in the 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup.
(CH) Champions. (RU) Runners-up. (SF) Losing semi-finalists. (QF) Losing quarter-finalists. (PO) Champions Cup play-off winners.

Round 1

[edit]
1 September 2018
17:15
(1 BP) Munster Ireland38–0South Africa Cheetahs
Try: R. Scannell 15' m
Kilcoyne 30' c
O'Donnell 52' m
Hanrahan 65' c
O'Callaghan 70' c
Sweetnam 72' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/6) 31', 66', 71', 73'		Report[45]
Thomond Park
Attendance: 12,265
Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

Round 2

[edit]
7 September 2018
19:35
Glasgow Warriors Scotland25–10Ireland Munster
Try: Gibbins 22' m
Hogg 28' c
Ashe 35' c
Con: Hogg (2/2) 29', 36'
Pen: P. Horne (1/2) 14'
Hogg (1/1) 72'		Report[46]Try: Marshall 69' c
Con: Carbery (1/1) 70'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 43'
Scotstoun Stadium
Attendance: 7,351
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Round 3

[edit]
14 September 2018
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland49–13Wales Ospreys
Try: Penalty try 15'
Carbery 21' c
J. Cronin 27' c
Marshall (2) 40'+1 c, 42' c
Botha 45' c
Sweetnam 62' c
Con: Carbery (5/5) 22', 28', 40'+2, 43', 46'
Keatley (1/1) 63'		Report[47]Try: Morgan 60' c
Con: S. Davies (1/1) 61'
Pen: S. Davies (2/2) 20', 26'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 8,008
Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU)

Round 4

[edit]
21 September 2018
19:35
(1 BP) Cardiff Blues Wales37–13Ireland Munster
Try: N. Williams 6' c
T. Williams (2) 16' c, 76' c
Halaholo 44' c
Con: Anscombe (3/4) 7', 17', 45', 77'
Pen: Anscombe (3/3) 52', 63', 70'		Report[48]Try: Conway (2) 10' m, 13' m
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 23'
Cardiff Arms Park
Attendance: 7,284
Referee: Quinton Immelman (SARU)

Round 5

[edit]
29 September 2018
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland64–7Ireland Ulster
Try: Goggin (2) 5' c, 37' c
O'Donnell (2) 8' c, 30' m
P. O'Mahony 50' c
Carbery 62' c
Arnold 66' c
Earls 70' c
Wootton 77' c
Con: Carbery (5/6) 5', 9', 37', 51', 63
Keatley (3/3) 67', 71', 78'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 16'		Report[49]Try: Cave 46' c
Con: Burns (1/1) 47'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 13,907
Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

Round 6

[edit]
6 October 2018
18:00
Leinster Ireland30–22Ireland Munster
Try: Penalty try 10'
Lowe (2) 14' c, 44' c
Con: R. Byrne (2/2) 15', 46'
Pen: R. Byrne (3/3) 32', 40'+2, 69'		Report[50]Try: Beirne 19' m
Stander 27' c
Mathewson 66' c
Con: Carbery (2/3) 28', 67'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 55'
Aviva Stadium
Attendance: 50,120
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Round 7

[edit]
27 October 2018
17:15
Munster Ireland25–24Scotland Glasgow Warriors (2 BP)
Try: J. Cronin 8' c
Wootton 65' m
Mathewson 72' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 9'
Keatley (1/2) 73'
Pen: Hanrahan (1/1) 55'
R. Scannell (1/1) 80'		Report[51]Try: G. Horne (2) 23' m, 35' c
M. Fagerson 48' m
P. Horne 59' c
Con: P. Horne (1/3) 36'
Thomson (1/1) 60'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 13,356
Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

Round 8

[edit]
4 November 2018
14:45
(2 BP) Cheetahs South Africa26–30Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Dweba (2) 26' m, 57' c
Nché 51' c
Smith 63' c
Con: Schoeman (3/4) 52', 58', 64		Report[52]Try: Botha 15' m
O'Byrne 37' c
L. Coombes 44' c
Haley 68' m
Con: Johnston (2/3) 39', 46'
Pen: Johnston (1/1) 10'
R. Scannell (1/1) 76'
Toyota Stadium
Attendance: 3,368
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)

Round 9

[edit]
25 November 2018
15:30
Zebre Italy7–32Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Giammarioli 63' c
Con: Brummer (1/1) 64'		Report[53]Try: F. Wycherley 15' c
O'Byrne 29' c
R. O'Mahony 72' c
R. Scannell 78' m
Con: Johnston (2/2) 16', 31'
R. Scannell (1/2) 74'
Pen: Johnston (1/1) 40'+2
R. Scannell (1/1) 69'
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 2,400
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)

Round 10

[edit]
30 November 2018
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland44–14Scotland Edinburgh
Try: Farrell (2) 4' m, 77' m
Conway (2) 14' c, 18' c
Earls (3) 29' m, 33' m, 37' m
Bleyendaal 63' m
Con: Hanrahan (2/6) 15', 19'		Report[54]Try: Van der Merwe (2) 20' c, 68' c
Con: Van der Walt (1/1) 21'
Baggott (1/1) 69'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 8,008
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

Round 11

[edit]
21 December 2018
19:35
Ulster Ireland19–12Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Herring 32' c
Baloucoune 60' c
Shanahan 76' m
Con: Burns (2/3) 34', 61'		Report[55]Pen: Hanrahan (2/2) 11', 51'
Johnston (2/2) 65', 80'+1
Kingspan Stadium
Attendance: 16,804
Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU)

Round 12

[edit]
29 December 2018
17:15
Munster Ireland26–17Ireland Leinster
Try: Cloete 13' c
Earls 71' c
Con: Carbery (1/1) 15'
Bleyendaal (1/1) 72'
Pen: Carbery (4/4) 34', 39', 43', 64'		Report[56]Try: Tracy 47' c
Deegan 80' c
Con: Sexton (1/1) 23'
Frawley (1/1) 80'+1
Pen: Sexton (1/1) 48'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 26,267
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)

Round 13

[edit]
5 January 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Connacht Ireland24–31Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Farrell 9' c
Kelleher 41' c
Carty 72' c
Con: Carty (3/3) 11', 42', 72'
Pen: Carty (1/1) 40'+1		Report[57]Try: P. O'Mahony 16' c
Goggin (2) 24' c, 48' c
Carbery 63' c
Con: Carbery (4/4) 17', 25', 49', 64'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 56'
Galway Sportsgrounds
Attendance: 8,129
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Round 14

[edit]
26 January 2019
15:00
(1 BP) Dragons Wales7–8Ireland Munster
Try: Fairbrother 13' c
Con: Lewis (1/1) 14'		Report[58]Try: Kleyn 62' m
Pen: Johnston (1/1) 29'
Rodney Parade
Attendance: 5,013
Referee: Ben Blain (SRU)

Round 15

[edit]
15 February 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland43–0South Africa Southern Kings
Try: N. Cronin 13' c
Conway 37' m
Sweetnam 54' c
Holland 60' m
Marshall 66' c
Kleyn 70' m
R. Scannell 79' c
Con: R. Scannell (4/7) 14', 55', 67', 80'		Report[59]
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 8,008
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)

Round 16

[edit]
22 February 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Ospreys Wales13–19Ireland Munster
Try: Dirksen 18' c
Con: Price (1/1) 18'
Pen: Price (2/2) 32', 62'		Report[60]Try: Sweetnam 4' c
Penalty try 36'
Haley 69' m
Con: Hanrahan (1/2) 5'
Liberty Stadium
Attendance: 5,432
Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU)

Round 17

[edit]
2 March 2019
17:00
Scarlets Wales10–6Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Nicholas 10' c
Con: Halfpenny (1/1) 12'
Pen: Halfpenny (1/1) 48'		Report[61]Pen: Johnston (2/2) 4', 39'
Parc y Scarlets
Attendance: 8,032
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

Round 18

[edit]
23 March 2019
19:45
(1 BP) Munster Ireland31–12Italy Zebre
Try: Loughman 40'+1 m
Marshall 52' c
Sweetnam 64' m
N. Scannell 68' c
Haley 77' c
Con: Bleyendaal (3/4) 53', 69', 79'		Report[62]Try: Elliott 8' m
Tenga 18' c
Con: Canna (1/2) 18'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 14,226
Referee: Dan Jones (WRU)

Round 19

[edit]
5 April 2019
19:35
(1 BP) Munster Ireland45–21Wales Cardiff Blues
Try: Farrell 17' c
Kleyn 29' c
Stander 49' c
Murray 60' c
Conway 65' c
Arnold 75' c
Con: Bleyendaal (5/5) 17', 30', 50', 60', 66'
Hanrahan (1/1) 77'
Pen: Bleyendaal (1/2) 11'		Report[63]Try: T. Williams 6' c
Summerhill 37' c
Lee-Lo 47' c
Con: Anscombe (3/3) 7', 39', 47'
Irish Independent Park
Attendance: 8,008
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)

Round 20

[edit]
12 April 2019
19:00
Benetton Italy28–37Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Benvenuti 7' c
Ioane 37' m
Penalty try 44'
Con: Allan (1/2) 8'
Pen: Allan (3/3) 5', 18', 23'		Report[64]Try: Marshall 10' c
Goggin 13' c
S. Daly 60' c
Mathewson 67' c
Con: Hanrahan (4/4) 11', 13', 61', 68'
Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 25', 48', 54'
Stadio Comunale di Monigo
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Round 21

[edit]
27 April 2019
19:35
Munster Ireland27–14Ireland Connacht
Try: Beirne 30' c
Haley 36' c
Hanrahan 74' c
Con: Bleyendaal (2/2) 31', 37'
Hanrahan (1/1) 75'
Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 20', 56'		Report[65]Try: Bealham 23' c
E. McKeon 70' c
Con: Dean (2/2) 24', 70'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 19,999
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)

Quarter-final

[edit]
4 May 2019
15:00
Munster Ireland15–13Italy Benetton
Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 22', 43'
Hanrahan (3/3) 62', 65', 76'		Report[66]Try: Tavuyara 39' c
Con: Allan (1/1) 40'
Pen: Allan (2/2) 25', 59'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 10,042
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)

Semi-final

[edit]
18 May 2019
14:30
Leinster Ireland24–9Ireland Munster
Try: Cronin 54' c
Lowe 79' m
Con: R. Byrne (1/1) 55'
Pen: R. Byrne (4/4) 2', 34', 40'+6, 45'		Report[67]Pen: Carbery (3/3) 5', 24', 50'
RDS Arena
Attendance: 18,977
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)

2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup

[edit]
Main article: 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup

Munster faced Castres, Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester in pool 2 of the 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup. They were seeded in tier 3 following their fourth-place finish overall and exit from the 2017–18 Pro14 season at the semi-finals stage.[6][68]


Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Ireland Munster (5) 6 4 1 1 138 72 66 14 9 2 1 21
England Exeter Chiefs 6 2 1 3 124 104 20 18 11 2 2 14
France Castres 6 3 0 3 97 142 –45 11 16 1 1 14
England Gloucester 6 2 0 4 122 163 –41 15 22 0 0 9

[69]

Round 1

[edit]
13 October 2018
15:15
Exeter Chiefs England10–10Ireland Munster
Try: Cowan-Dickie 38' c
Con: Steenson (1/1) 39'
Pen: Steenson (1/1) 18'		Report[70]Try: Stander 63' c
Con: Carbery (1/1) 64'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 31'
Sandy Park
Attendance: 12,749
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

Round 2

[edit]
20 October 2018
13:00
(1 BP) Munster Ireland36–22England Gloucester
Try: Haley 21' m
Marshall 34' c
Carbery 50' c
Arnold 55' c
Conway 66' c
Con: Carbery (4/5) 35', 51', 56', 67'
Pen: Carbery (1/1) 29'		Report[71]Try: Grobler 62' c
Woodward 68' m
Morgan 78' c
Con: Twelvetrees (2/3) 63', 78'
Pen: Cipriani (1/1) 24'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 23,068
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (FFR)

Round 3

[edit]
9 December 2018
13:00
Munster Ireland30–5France Castres
Try: R. Scannell 42' c
Stander 67' c
Hanrahan 74'
Con: Hanrahan (3/3) 44', 68', 75'
Pen: Hanrahan (3/3) 6', 20', 57'		Report[72]Try: Laveau 80' m
Thomond Park
Attendance: 21,861
Referee: JP Doyle (RFU)

Round 4

[edit]
15 December 2018
17:30
Castres France13–12Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Faʻanunu 23' c
Con: Urdapilleta (1/1) 24'
Pen: Urdapilleta (2/3) 10', 56'		Report[73]Pen: Carbery (4/7) 2', 19', 50', 66'
Stade Pierre-Fabre
Attendance: 9,746
Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU)

Round 5

[edit]
11 January 2019
19:45
Gloucester England15–41Ireland Munster (1 BP)
Try: Thorley 51' m
Balmain 63' c
Con: Twelvetrees (1/2) 63'
Pen: Twelvetrees (1/1) 13'		Report[74]Try: Carbery (2) 23' c, 67' c
R. Scannell 40'+2 c
Earls 56' c
Conway 65' c
Con: Carbery (5/5) 24', 40'+3, 57', 66', 68'
Pen: Carbery (2/2) 19', 26'
Kingsholm
Attendance: 15,500
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)

Round 6

[edit]
19 January 2019
17:30
Munster Ireland9–7England Exeter Chiefs (1 BP)
Pen: Carbery (3/3) 6', 22', 72'Report[75]Try: Armand 12' c
Con: J. Simmonds (1/1) 13'
Thomond Park
Attendance: 26,267
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

Quarter-final

[edit]
30 March 2019
12:45
Edinburgh Scotland (4)13–17(5) Ireland Munster
Try: Dean 26' c
Con: Van der Walt (1/1) 27'
Pen: Van der Walt (2/2) 35', 50'		Report[76]Try: Earls (2) 18' c, 70' c
Con: Carbery (1/1) 19'
Bleyendaal (1/1) 71'
Pen: Bleyendaal (1/1) 46'
Murrayfield
Attendance: 36,358
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (FFR)

Semi-final

[edit]
20 April 2019
15:00
Saracens England (1)32–16(5) Ireland Munster
Try: Rhodes 42' c
B. Vunipola 71' c
Con: Farrell (2/2) 43', 73'
Pen: Farrell (6/7) 1', 17', 26', 40', 47', 53'		Report[77]Try: Sweetnam 60' c
Con: Hanrahan (1/1) 62'
Pen: Bleyendaal (2/2) 9', 30'
Murray (1/1) 36'
Ricoh Arena
Attendance: 16,235
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)

References

[edit]
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[edit]
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