Jaco Taute already looking forward to next year

The less said about the Pro 12 Final the better. Munster were simply beaten by the better team.

Time to move on.

For CJ Stander, Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony, the Lions Tour will be a welcome distraction, as will the Irish Tour of Japan and The US for many more Munster men.

For some however, such as Jaco Taute, the summer will allow him to reflect on his first year with Munster. After a barnstorming maiden year with the club, Taute believes that there is more to come from him and his team mates in the coming season.

“I think there is so much untapped potential from the team that’s come from last year to now. It’s just amazing. For me personally, I’m delighted to sign on, I can’t wait for the next two years to just become a better player for myself and for the team.

“And the team, I think, the sky is the limit now. There’s always room to improve in defence and attack, we’ll work on that in the offseason and in pre season but I think the sky is the limit now, we’re a close-knit group now because of everything we’ve been through and we’ll work even harder now.”

In a season that saw the passing of Head Coach and Muster legend Anthony Foley, as well as a European Cup Semi final loss and Pro 12 Final annihilation, Taute is looking at the positives from the season.

“In everything in life, there’s ups and downs. I think we’ve been at the down and the organisation is building towards an up again…the fans are unbelievable, just the way how it’s always so bad losing and you see them stay behind and just appreciating. There’s no organisation or club in the world that has that.

“We can just work hard and come back next season and live on in the traditions that Munster have of being a club that wants to compete.”