‘We go to the play-offs now... can't wait’ – Graham Rowntree sets sights on Ospreys after Munster fight back to beat Ulster

The 29-25 win means Munster finish the URC top of the table and have home advantage for the knockout stages, with Ospreys due in Limerick next Friday with the reward a semi-final against Glasgow Warriors or the Stormers at the same venue.

The short turnaround will be the same for both teams after Ospreys squeezed into the top eight with their bonus point win over Cardiff this evening.

And Rowntree isn't looking past the Welsh region.

“We have a lot of respect for what Toby (Booth) has done there,” he said.

“As a club, what he's done, there, the challenges around availability and budget. They're a sticky team.

“We had a good battle with them in February or March, they're a tough team.

“That's the next game, we're at the play-offs and finished the league at the top. I'm immensely proud of that as a club. I think we were 11th on 2 January, we had our injuries around Christmas, and picked up 44 of a possible 45 points since that Connacht game.

“We've been away in South Africa, I'm really pleased with how we've finished up. We don't get a trophy for it, but where we've got to, I'm immensely proud.

“We go to the play-offs now... can't wait.”

The performance against Ulster wasn't at the level Munster need to be for the remaining games, but Rowntree was pleased to see his side fight back from 10-points down to win.

“We don't do things easy, do we?” he said of the win.

“Credit to them, they came to play and grew into the game. We made some individual errors there, they capitalised, they scored off them. Half time was about staying calm and they came back in the third quarter, a missed tackle from John Hodnett and they were through.

“We found a way, it's an overused expression, but we found a way to win the game. The bench was big again.

“When you go 6/2 (forwards and backs) and lose a back in the first half, we were still brave around the 45 minute mark bringing four forwards on. I couldn't really bring Conor on any earlier than we did, but overall, I think it worked, the punch that our bench gave us. It really stood to us. I'm happy with it.

“Our discipline was poor.. Jack Crowley, by his own admission, in the side of ruck, it's a penalty, they go in the corner, they break down the front of the maul.

“Then he kicks a ball directly out from a goalline drop-out. They're just individual errors, which he'll recover from, and he did in the game.

“When we get the ball in their '22, we were forcing things, forcing passes, we just lacked a bit of composure. Half time was about being calm.

“It (the comeback) will stand to us. There's plenty of bits to review, but a lot of our errors were individual errors, and then it was composure in the last 10 metres of the field.

“I'm delighted with our attitude there, we went for the corner, mauled them over, our scrum was in good nick and we used it as a good platform for penalties. It will stand to us.

“It wasn't perfect, we go into the play-offs Friday night, we have a few sore bodies, we'll see how they pulled through and name a team in the middle of the week."

Rory Scannell is unlikely to be involved after suffering a potentially serious ankle injury.

“I don't know, but it doesn't look good,” Rowntree said of the centre's injury.