Shane Daly and Andi Kyriacou hoping Ulster win can “inspire” Munster for the remainder of the season

Outgoing fly-half Ben Healy struck for a late try and conversion to secure the spoils for Munster in Belfast on New Years Day.

They left it late but Munster escaped Kingspan Stadium with a New Years Day win over Ulster in their most recent URC clash. Up next is the Emirates Lions this Friday in Musgrave Park as Graham Rowntree’s men will look to maintain their winning ways.

The victory over Ulster followed an underwhelming defeat to Leinster where the hosts were once more beaten in Thomond Park by their interprovincial rivals.

But less than a week later, they regrouped for the Ulster result that was just their fifth domestic win of the season. And the win has provided a timely confidence boost for the squad says back Shane Daly who described the change in atmosphere following the 14-15 victory.

“Obviously when you win a game like that, it puts everyone in a really positive mood. Coming in this week was a lot different to the Leinster week. That was a game that we felt that we left behind so to bounce back and get the win is a massive thing because we have struggled in those games this season. We have come out the wrong side of a couple of close games this season and things like that can have an influence on the overall environment. But something like that can inspire us to have in those moments later on in the season.”

Andi Kyriacou echoed Daly’s sentiments with the coaching ticket seeking continued improvement week on week as the business end of the season quickly approaches.

“The belief in the squad is something we have been growing since the get go. There’s been improvements week on week and what’s really nice is the belief at the weekend and sticking to our framework. That belief got us over the line at the end of the game.

“We’re happy as a coaching group, loads of area for improvement but you’re always trying to get better.”

While the results have often left a lot to be desired, Munster’s style of play is clearly evolving under Rowntree with a freedom to their play, especially when in attack.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed for Daly who is embracing his newfound freedom on the wing that has seen him able to express himself.

“It has been a frustration in the past where I felt I had to hold the edge and wait for the ball to come out. But this year we are more proactive in what we’re allowed do as wingers. to be able to get involved and when you see space you can get involved. There’s kind of no numbers on the back for the backline in Munster this year and something like that for me is massive as I grew up playing as a centre so I’d be quite comfortable in those positions on the field anyways. To be able to combine those two is something I enjoy and I think it’s working for us aswell.”

The hope will be that the new game style can bring with it the results necessary for Munster to push up the table and secure their knockout berth in the URC, continuing with the Lions on Friday.

Munster Press Pass with Shane Daly & Andi Kyriacou

Please accept YouTube cookies to play this video. By accepting you will be accessing content from YouTube, a service provided by an external third party.

YouTube privacy policy

If you accept this notice, your choice will be saved and the page will refresh.

Accept YouTube Content