2013/14 Season In Review

771 points, 84 tries and 8 new caps, check out Munster’s season in facts and figures right here.

This year saw Head Coach Rob Penney use a total of 47 players as he guided Munster through 23 RaboDirect PRO12 games and 8 Heineken Cup encounters, reaching the semi-final stage of both competitions.

As the season has ended, here’s a look back at the points scored, the records set, and the milestones reached across the 2013/14 season.

With 22 wins (16 PRO12 / 6 Heineken Cup) under their belt for the season, Munster scored an average of 25 points per game racking up a total of 84 tries along the way. Notable wins included Munster’s 6 try demolition of Toulouse in the Heineken Cup quarter-final and Munster’s most fruitful performance of the season – defeating Edinburgh by a margin of 12-55 in Round 21 of the PRO12. While semi-final heartbreak in both the Heineken Cup and PRO12 stand out in one’s memory as the significant defeats, Munster will also look back in anger at two losses in particular – Glasgow Warriors and Ulster in PRO12 Rounds 19 and 22 respectively were the province’s only home defeats of the season and performances well below the capabilities and what’s expected of a Munster side.

Across the season Penney continued to nurture new talent with a total of eight Munster debutants. Munster Academy graduates Alan Cotter, Duncan Casey, Niall Scannell and Year Two Academy player Johnny Holland all made their senior debuts while club player Ger Slattery of Young Munster also lined out for the province this season. These players coupled with new signings Andrew Conway, Gerhard Van Den Heever and Quentin MacDonald all took to the field in the famous red jersey.

Several players were also blooded in European action, Academy graduates Duncan Casey, James Cronin, Dave Foley, Cathal Sheridan and Alan Cotter all winning Heineken Cup caps together with South African signings CJ Stander and Gerhard Van Den Heever.

The battle at 10 remains alive and well with Ian Keatley and JJ Hanrahan continuing to push each other on. Both players made 27 appearances and while Keatley became Munster’s top points scorer with 217 points (1 try, 37 conversions, 46 penalties) from 21 starts, Hanrahan was second on 161 points (4 tries, 30 conversions, 27 penalties), the Kerry native also picking up the Golden Boot Award at this year’s RaboDirect PRO12 Awards with a place-kicking success rate of 88.71% in the competition.

On the try scoring front, Simon Zebo came out on top. Despite having missed the bulk of the early season, Zebo made up for lost time scoring 5 tries in four matches on his return and going on to score another two tries bringing his tally for the season to 7. His partner on the opposite wing, Keith Earls picked up 6 tries to come in second, and in keeping with Munster tradition where the forwards always have their say, CJ Stander represented the pack in third with 5 tries.

The 2013/14 season witnessed numerous stand out performances in crucial encounters with the IRUPA Unsung Hero of the Year, James Coughlan and Munster Young Player of the Year, JJ Hanrahan leading the way with three Man of the Match awards each. Ian Keatley, CJ Stander and Peter O’Mahony all received the accolade twice.

Between international duty and the injury problems of O’Mahony, the captaincy duties were delegated to a number of players while the squad captain was unavailable for selection – Damien Varley, James Coughlan, Billy Holland and Paul O’Connell all leading out the province at various stages during the season.

Finally, this past rugby year marked milestones for two stalwarts of the Munster second row. Donncha O’Callaghan became Munster’s Most-capped Player, winning his 241^st cap against Zebre in February while Paul O’Connell won his 75^th Heineken Cup cap in Munster’s emphatic victory over Toulouse in the Heineken Cup quarter-final. The former Munster captain made the occasion even more memorable by scoring his side’s sixth and final try of the game.