MUNSTER boss Graham Rowntree will have to sieve through an bloated injury list before Munster’s marquee match vs Leinster at Croke Park on Saturday.
The Englishman watched his side get their shock defeat to Zebre out of their system by beating Ospreys 23-0 on a brutal Friday night of wind and rain at Virgin Media Park.
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Star man Craig Casey excelled at half-back along with Jack Crowley as the Reds bossed proceedings in Cork.
But the win came at a price as Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony and tighthead Oli Jager were both forced off early, with full-back Mike Haley also adding to a lengthy casualty list.
Speaking after the game, Rowntree said: “We picked up a few knocks but we’ll see what Monday presents in terms of scans.
“I’ll wait until Monday. It’s another week, another couple of injuries in the first half.
“We’re struck at the moment, it happens, there’s an ebb and a flow to every season in terms of injuries and we’re a bit skinny at the moment, but we’ll get through it.
“We’ll see what Monday morning brings. We’ll see how those guys pull up.
“We have a huge game next week now but it’s about getting bodies on the field, so we’ll have to modify what we do on Monday and we’ll see what we can put on the field.
“But I’ve learned not to wait until Monday, not to worry about things until I get the scan results back and see how they are.”
The weather had an instant impact as Ospreys centre Owen Watkin spilled Crowley’s kick-off and academy winger Shay McCarthy pounced to score with just ten seconds on the clock, equalling one Dougie Fife scored for Edinburgh against Connacht in 2018.
Rowntree commented: “We were hoping for a reaction, in fact I was looking forward to a reaction.
“I thought our physicality and our accuracy in those conditions – they were shocking conditions. You don’t appreciate it unless you’re pitch-side.
“Trying to fathom a way of getting into their half in the second half of the game, we had one chance and we took it. Accuracy, physicality.
“Some guys had big moments, some young guys really showed up for us.
“Shay McCarthy’s first touch of the game, it was excellent for us, and then we were chasing a bonus point and he had a key moment in the lead up to that try.
“Bryan Fitzgerald was excellent tonight, in the last minute of the game he’s holding them up over the goal line. So that pleased me.
“We saw a reaction in our physicality and accuracy in the weather.
“They stand out for me.”
