Munster Rugby's Tadhg Beirne: 'It's incredible. This is about the fans and everyone at home'

MUNSTER Rugby's Ireland international Tadhg Beirne described Saturday night's thrilling URC final win over the Stormers in Cape Town as 'incredible', adding that the significant success was about the fans.

A brilliantly executed team try, scored by Man of the Match John Hodnett and converted by out-half Jack Crowley, helped Munster secure a nail-biting 19-14 win over the Stormers before a sell-out attendance at the DHL Stadium.

It was Munster's first time to win silverware in 12 years and brought their tally to league wins to four. 

Afterwards the hugely influential Beirne said: “It’s incredible, and it’s not really about us really, it’s about the fans, it’s about everyone at home and families. We’ll enjoy it for sure but those fans have waited a long, long time. We spoke about how we’ve lost a lot of people as well within Munster, and it’s for those people as well and their families.

 “It’s a special, special day for everyone, for everyone who travelled out here, which is a massive, massive amount of people, and everyone back home who’s watching from their couches and from wherever they’re watching it. This one is certainly for them.

 “I would also give a massive shout out to our families as well who supported us through all the disappointments, and the highs and the lows over the last couple of years, and for some lads like Earlsy and Pete and ‘Mur’ and whoever, it’s been longer than just my five years that I’ve been with this club. It’s been a lot longer than that.   

 “So, to everyone’s families, it’s also for them, and no doubt they’re absolutely delighted for us back home.”

Munster Rugby head coach Graham Rowntree said the win topped everything he had achieved in his coaching career to date. Rowntree, who retired from playing career in 2007, won a Six Nations title with England in 2011, as well as a British and Irish Lions series in 2013.

However, he said Munster's success in Cape Town topped the lot. 

"My best ever. It'll sink in at some point, depending on how much Pinotage I drink in the next 12 hours! It's my best day ever. Just the manner of which we've done it, away from home, doing it tough, a tight group, not rotating the squad a lot. I'm immensely proud."